In a shocking story illustrating how far customers now have to go to get a refund and compensation for cancelled flights, media reported yesterday that a Wizz Air customer, Russell Quirk, sent bailiffs to Luton Airport to recover money owed after his flight to Portugal was cancelled with a mere three hours’ notice.
Our debt recovery portal, which is fully backed by an SRA regulated law firm, can quickly and cost-effectively assist you to recover refunds and compensation owed from an airline. Not only will it save you money, Debt-Claims will eliminate all the stress stemming from chasing the unpaid debt.
Why are people struggling to receive compensation owed from airlines?
The summer of 2022 saw chaotic scenes at almost all major UK airports. The Coronavirus pandemic had wiped out most leisure travel over the previous two years, leaving airports and airlines suffering staff shortages. Adding to this was the impact of Brexit-red tape, strikes, and rising travel costs. Flights were cancelled, luggage was lost, and people were left queuing at security for hours.
Many of the current refund and compensation disputes stem from last year’s disastrous airport and airline disruptions.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?
If you’re travelling with a UK or an EU airline — or from either of these two regions — and your flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you a full refund or a rerouting as soon as possible, even if with a different carrier. In addition, the airline has to provide you with food and drink whilst you wait for your next flight and accommodation if you are stranded at the airport overnight.
Should your flight be cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice, you may also be entitled to compensation as well as a refund. Note that flights cancelled due to bad weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.
A full description of compensation payments is available on the Civil Aviation Authority website.
Can an individual send in bailiffs to recover a debt from a company?
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Mr Quirk told presenters that after Wizz Air failed to pay the compensation owed to him following the short-notice cancellation of his flight, he obtained a County Court Judgement (CCJ) against the airline. The airline still neglected to pay the debt, so after paying a bailiff’s fee to the Court, he was able to send bailiffs to Luton airport to demand the debt be paid.
Although it is unusual for an individual to send bailiffs to collect an unpaid debt from a large company, the fact that Mr Quirk had a CCJ in his favour meant there was no dispute concerning what Wizz Air owed him and he was fully within his rights to use bailiffs to recover the debt.
How Debt-Claims can make claiming against airlines stress-free and cost-effective
If you are owed a refund and compensation from an airline, here is how you can use our Debt-Claims Portal to recover your money.
- Step one – register with debt-claims using your email and creating a password.
- Step two – once you are registered, the portal will ask you which action you want to take. There are free helpful guides available explaining the debt recovery process. In most cases, you will first want to send a Late Payment Demand. This costs £2.50 + VAT. Debt-Claims takes you through the creation of the letter step-by-step and calculates any interest owed. The letter is checked by a suitably qualified member of our team before it is sent on official letterhead.
- Step three – if the Late Payment Demand is unsuccessful, you can use the portal to begin the first step in bringing court action. This involves sending a Letter Before Action. Again, the portal will take you through the process, calculate any interest, and the document will be checked by one of our team. The cost is £12.50 + VAT.
- Step four – should the airline not respond to the Letter Before Action, Debt-Claims will complete a Claim Form and lodge it with the Money Claims Online, which incorporates all claims submitted to the County Court Business Centre (CCBC) if the amount is for less than £100,000 and the airline has an address in England or Wales. Claims outside of this (for example, above £100,000 or outside of England and Wales) will be sent to the County Court Money Claims Centre (CCMCC). CCBC’s claims will be issued electronically, ensuring that this step is completed without delay. The airline must pay the debt within 14 days. If they fail to respond, we can obtain a CCJ.
- Step five – if the airline does not pay the debt under the directions set out in the CCJ, we can advise you on the best steps to enforce the judgment and recover your compensation. One of the options available is to use a County Court bailiff. We can organise this for you so you can get on with your day-to-day life.
Why use Debt-Claims?
Fighting for a refund and compensation from an airline is extremely time-consuming and stressful, which is why many people simply give up on claiming thousands of pounds owed to them.
Using Debt-Claims makes the process incredibly easy; it is literally like having a hand-hold through the entire process. You can also be confident that you are sending the right letters/forms and that the information contained in them has been checked by a professional.
With regard to fees, we only charge fees that can be recovered from the airline and unless the claim is disputed, we do not charge additional legal costs. The price you see on the website for each service is the price you pay. Because Debt-Claims is backed by a law firm, it must comply with strict pricing policies set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. To find out more, register with Debt-Claims today and take the first step to recovering the money you are owed quickly and cost-effectively.
