As a frequent traveller, I always go out of my way to stay up to date with the latest air travel news! I’m literally obsessed with flying and try to take as many holidays as I can throughout the year.
But this week, I was saddened to hear that one of my favourite UK airlines, Monarch, announced that they had been placed into administration, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in a number of European destinations and beyond.
With news outlets reporting that approximately 110,000 people are currently without a flight home, and a further 300,000 future bookings have been cancelled, I thought I would take a closer look at whether or not passengers will be entitled to cancelled flight compensation.
So, if you have been recently affected by the Monarch collapse, you might want to tune in!
First and foremost, the good news is that although passengers that are stranded abroad will not be able to fly back with Monarch, the UK Government is doing everything in its power to co-ordinate alternative flights back to the UK for all affected customers.
However, customers that have an existing booking with Monarch and are yet to travel have been told not to go to the airport, as there are currently no flights operating with Monarch.
But are you entitled to claim cancelled flight compensation?
Monarch has been pretty good at keeping their customers in the loop during the administration process, especially when it comes to keeping their website updated with the latest information, even if its not the answers you wanted to hear!
Currently, an official statement on the Monarch website states that: “Customers who booked flights directly with Monarch Airlines from 15 December 2016 onwards are not ATOL protected and are not entitled to make a claim to the CAA.”
These passengers have been advised to contact their card issuer or insurer to find out how they can claim a refund.
However, if your flight was booked with First Aviation Ltd trading, as Monarch Airlines, on or before the 14th December 2016, your booking will be ATOL protected, which means you should be able to claim compensation.
Monarch has assured all affected passengers that they will keep them in the loop during the administration proceedings, and will be in contact soon regarding how customers can go about claiming compensation and refunds.
In the meantime, I just hope that all affected passengers can get home safely. Meanwhile the greener, more such option might be train travel.
