More and more travelers are demanding money from airlines after their flights are delayed. And behind this lies a growing industry, where customers pay for help in getting compensation.
– We are noticing that more and more of these types of companies are emerging that prey on travelers who have been affected by delays or canceled flights, says Charlotte Holmbergh Jacobsson, head of communications at Norwegian.
– They are also becoming more aggressive in their marketing and are increasingly resembling an American way of marketing themselves. Which can be called so-called ambulance chasing, where they actively seek out travelers.
Ever since an EU regulation came into force after the turn of the millennium, travelers have had the right to claim compensation of up to 600 euros, just over six thousand kronor, from the airline if their flight is delayed by three hours or more. And more and more people are taking advantage of this opportunity, as several airlines that Ekot spoke to have noticed.
– We can see a general trend, yes, that there are more and more customers who are seeking compensation in connection with irregularity as we call it. When you have had problems with a flight. The number of applications has increased recently, that's it, says Rickard Gustafsson, CEO of SAS.
One industry that has benefited from the EU regulation is companies that help travelers claim compensation on their behalf. But the help is not free, and the customer has to pay up to 30 percent of the compensation they are entitled to in fees.
The companies believe that their services are needed because airlines routinely refuse compensation claims. Something SAS's CEO disagrees with.
– We always do what is right for our customers, regardless of whether it is the customers who make the claim or via an agent. At the same time, we do not have the financial muscle to pay out compensation that you are not entitled to. Then we put our foot down and say, unfortunately, we cannot help here. But everything that you are legally entitled to, of course SAS will cover it, says Rickard Gustafsson.
The Swedish National Complaints Board, ARN, sees that many compensation cases are now handled through representatives.
– These types of companies are often our representatives in these types of cases these days, says Marcus Isgren, head of ARN.
He has no objection to using a representative, but in many cases it is just as possible to get compensation if you pursue the claim yourself. If you have reported the delay to the airline and been rejected, ARN will review the case for free.
– The airlines say no because they do not consider themselves liable to pay. Then we review it, and in about 50 percent of cases the consumer is fully or partially right when they have a claim against the airlines.
– In approximately 80 percent of cases where the consumer is right, the airlines follow our recommendations, says Marcus Isgren at ARN.
