LCC easyJet has been ordered to compensate a passenger who brought a claim against the airline for “unreasonable” ticket cancellation charges.
Adam Rubens had booked a ticket to Tel Aviv in December 2013, but elected to cancel the flight half-an-hour later.
The airline charged Rubens a total of £135 to cancel the £306 he paid for the flight, and the extra fees.
The charges amounted to a £60 flight cancellation fee and a £17 credit card charge. easyJet also retained the £38 baggage fee and £20 seat allocation fee.
The judge rejected easyJet's claim that it was entitled to the full fees because Rubens agreed to the terms and conditions, and found the airline’s terms and conditions to be “unreasonable”. He awarded Rubens his £58 baggage and seat fees plus £50 legal costs.
Rubens stated: “This has implications for millions of passengers travelling using budget airlines. Too many people accept their fate because it is written in a company's terms and conditions. The court held that those terms still have to pass the test of reasonableness.”