Passengers paid more than €660,000 in compensation, refunds, and expenses for flight delays and cancellations

Airline passengers won more than €660,000 in compensation, refunds, and expenses last year because of cancellations, delays, or being denied boarding to a plane.

Almost 1,500 cases were dealt with by the aviation regulator with more than two-thirds of them relating to Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

Refunds from airlines ranged in size from €8,185 in one case involving Aer Lingus to just €6.10 in a case involving a British Airways flight.

There were also more than 500 cases where a customer made a complaint to the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) but no refund or settlement ended up being paid.

A significant drop in cases was seen last year with only 1,475 complaints received – just a third of the 4,543 that were logged in 2020.

However, that “record-breaking” figure was due to widespread disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic with mass cancellation of flights.