Air cancellation complaints rise

Your holiday may be dreamy but getting there could be a nightmare

Complaints about flight cancellations are up by a third on last year, according to a leading consumer group.

The Air Transport Users' Council (AUC) said these gripes rose to 740, up from 558 in 2002/3 and 354 in 2001/2.

No-frills carriers accounted for a growing number of these complaints, a situation AUC said was "worrying".

However, the AUC welcomed a 23% drop in complaints about baggage handling, although this was still the top complaint to the consumer body.

Overall complaints were up by 7% in the year to 31 March 2004, it added.

Customer service

AUC said the growth in complaints about cancellations may have arisen out of the way people were treated by airlines - not necessarily because those particular airlines cancelled more flights.

TOP THREE TELEPHONE COMPLAINTS* Mishandled baggage: 16% of calls Cancellations: 13% of calls Delays: 8% of calls *1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004

AUC Chairman, Tina Tietjen, commended no-frills carriers for bringing costs down and expanding the range of destinations on offer.

However, she called on the airlines to convince AUC that "the inconvenience and financial costs suffered by passengers when flights are cancelled are not the flip side to the benefits these airlines bring to air passengers".

AUC commended Air France, KLM and Ryanair for improving customer service.

New regulations to be introduced next February will give greater compensation for cancellations, delays and overbooking by airlines.

The measures are being challenged by a number of airline bodies.

These have claimed that the new regulations are inconsistent with the Montreal Convention, which governs airline liability rules.

What's your worst airline experience? Do you think customer service is getting worse or improving? What is your biggest gripe with air travel. Tell us your experiences:

Your comments:

The worst aspect of using budget airlines is the non-allocation of seats. Fine if you are travelling on your own, but try travelling with a party of 3 or 4, it is awful. The scrum for seats is undignified and I believe it delays boarding considerably.
Tony Potter, Colchester UK

One Christmas I had a flight with Air France, from London Heathrow to Barcelona changing in Paris. The flight was delayed in London by 2 hours by fog, I was reassured by the staff there several times that the connecting flight from Paris would wait for us. I eventually arrived in Paris but 15 minutes after the connecting flight was due to take off, on a screen there it said my flight had taken off already. I pointed out to an air France employee at Paris that my connecting flight had gone with out me, after looking at her watch she answered me in English but with a snooty French accent, "Of course". (I eventually got to Barcelona on a flight 4 hours later due to another air France employee that in contrast to the first was super helpful).
Jon, Barcelona, Spain

I think it is ethically wrong for airlines to purposely overbook. This causes misery to travellers and usually means people have to travel much earlier than they would like as they might not get a seat. If i purchase a seat and then do not turn up it should be offered for sale in the last 45 minutes or simply left empty (i have paid for the seat whether used or not). This would stop all the people who turn up 10 minutes before a flight and expect to get on board.
Mike, England

Many flights offered by budget airlines are fantastic value. What isn't so fantastic are the premium bus and train fares charged to reach their airports, within the UK most especially. These fares often mitigate entirely any savings you make from travelling Budget. I would like to see the "Express" airport train companies in London operated by the budget airlines - Come on "Ryanair Trains" and "EasyRail"!
David Anderson, Gothenburg, Sweden