The dossier features 25 first-hand accounts of the difficulties travellers have faced in recent months as travel rebounds from the Covid crisis, with more than 40,000 people having already signed Which?’s petition to the new transport secretary calling for reforms "that put passengers first".
Writing to Trevelyan, Which? said her top priority must be to press ahead with plans to give the CAA stronger regulatory powers to sanction airlines when they fail to meet their obligations to passengers.
The group also urged her not to cut rates of compensation due to passengers who face long delays or last-minute cancellations, and to ensure consumers don’t have to seek recourse through the small claims courts for compensation and refunds they are legally owed.
Which? said government should introduce a mandatory alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system and establish an aviation ombudsman to ensure the industry remains in line.
Citing data from the Office for National Statistics, Which? said as many as one in three UK passengers suffered some form of disruption to their flight between June and the beginning of August.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “It is clear reforms in this sector are desperately needed. We are calling on the new transport secretary to act without delay and give the CAA the powers it needs to fine airlines when they break the law and fail in their responsibility to passengers."
