Romania’s Consumer Watchdog Fines Ten Airliners For Passenger Rights Violation

The watchdog conducted checkups at 16 airliners which delayed or cancelled their flights during January 3-5, and ten of them were fined over RON288,000 for having breached passenger rights regulation 261/ 2004, as regards providing assistance and compensations in case of refusal to embark, cancellation or extended flight delays.

Airliners Blue Air, Malev, Air France, Wizz Air, Carpatair, Romania’s flag carrier Tarom, My Air, Alitalia, British Airwaves and Luftansa were fined for having failed to provide passengers with the necessary information or assistance, while Luftansa was fined because the information it provided in writing to its passengers was only in English, added Vlaicu.

Vlaicu pointed out that airliners Air Malta, EL AL-Israel Airlines and Romavia were also checked, but they were not fined, as they did not breach regulation 261/2004, while Swiss International Airline fully observed passenger rights.

Vlaicu said that passengers can only get compensations through legal action in court, stressing that the watchdog only fined the airliners, as it has no right to force them into paying compensations to passengers.

Romania’s transportation minister Ludovic Orban said that if airliners fail to observe passenger rights, airports must provide passengers with the necessary information and notify the watchdog in this respect, as it turned out so far that passengers do not know their rights.