Virgin Atlantic has paid £47,000 in compensation to a group of 101 passengers that launched a complaint against the airline via a Facebook page. The complaint was initiated when their flight from Orlando to London Gatwick experienced a 26-hour delay due to technical faults.
The group was initially told by the UK CAA that they had a valid claim for compensation under EU Regulation 261, but was told later that their flight did not in fact qualify for this compensation.
The group then contacted solicitors Bott & Co in November 2013, who issued group proceedings. The case was initially delayed pending the outcome of the Huzar v Jet2.com flight delay case, which eventually found against Jet2 on the basis of technical delays being “inherent in the running of an airline”.
Virgin Atlantic paid €600 in compensation to each passenger on the delayed flight following the ruling.