Summary
Airlines paid millions of pounds in compensation to passengers after initially denying or not resolving their claims for flight delays or cancellations. Most of these payouts were ordered after complaints were escalated to independent adjudicators. British Airways, Wizz Air, Ryanair, and EasyJet are among the airlines that paid significant amounts to passengers during the year ending in October 2025.
Key Facts
- Airlines paid almost £11 million in compensation for claims initially denied or unresolved.
- The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reported these figures for the year up to October 2025.
- Most of the compensation came from British Airways, paying £6.9 million.
- Wizz Air, Ryanair, and EasyJet also paid compensation of £1.7 million, £1.68 million, and £371,000, respectively.
- Complaints handled by independent adjudicators CDRL and CEDR often resulted in compensation.
- Customer complaints mostly concerned severe delays or cancelled flights.
- British Airways faced 10,679 complaints, with 81% decided in the customers' favor after escalation.
- Consumer advocacy groups claim airlines sometimes use confusing information to discourage claims.
