Hospital staff receive more than £4,500 compensation

Members of the UNISON public service union were due to return from London following a conference in June. Their flight from Gatwick was cancelled leaving the passengers stranded. When they finally made it home on later flights, they contacted the airline for compensation, without success.

John Murray, UNISON representative, said: “After the airline failed to compensate passengers, I saw a tweet by another passenger who had contacted The Consumer Council. I followed suit and as a result 17 members of UNISON were able to obtain a total of £4,513 in compensation. We are delighted with the way The Consumer Council handled our case, and would recommend anyone else who experiences problems to get in touch with them.”

Noleen Charnley, Consumer Empowerment Officer at The Consumer Council, commented: “We are delighted to have helped UNISON members, including those from Lagan Valley Hospital, receive compensation from the airline. This shows the power of social media, and thanks to one passenger sharing their successful outcome, we were then contacted by several others. If anyone else is experiencing difficulties in obtaining compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, The Consumer Council is here to help.”

For information about passengers’ rights log on to www.consumercouncil.org.uk