British politicians want to compensate delayed airline passengers directly, the England and Wales Law Society Gazette has reported.

The move would mean delayed passengers would not need to go through a claims-management company or other legal representative.

The House of Commons Transport Select Committee this morning (26 April) proposed the change, as part of a report on supporting recovery in aviation.

Members also suggested that Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority should be given the power to fine airlines that do not provide complete refunds to consumers when required to do so by law.

Challenge

The committee report says: “Even when airline passengers are entitled to a refund, they can struggle to secure the refunds that they are owed. Those challenges apply to both individual passengers and travellers who book flights through third parties. Accessing refunds from airlines has been a long-standing challenge for consumers, pre-dating the coronavirus pandemic.”

In Britain, a flight-claims industry has grown in the last decade as consumers’ rights to claim compensation have been extended.

Claims are sometimes fought by airlines and, recently, the  Supreme Court upheld legal firm Bott & Co’s right to recover costs from flight compensation paid out by Ryanair.