A consumer panel to give the Civil Aviation Authority feedback from passengers is to be launched within the next few months.
The CAA said the panel would ‘act as a critical friend’ to the CAA, providing oversight and advice on its regulatory approach.
CAA chair Dame Deirdre Hutton said: "The panel will provide a consumer perspective on all aspects of the CAA’s work. But its main focus will be on how regulation affects the everyday passenger experience.
"We want the panel to shine a light on the passenger experience of air travel and suggest practical solutions to problems they identify."
The panel of up to seven consumer and aviation experts will be structured to be sufficiently independent to hold the CAA to account, she said, without incurring unnecessary administrative cost.
"We recognise that to be effective, it is important that it has sufficient independence to challenge the CAA when it needs to, with the freedom to stand up for consumers’ interests."
The CAA is advertising for applicants for the role of chair of the new panel in The Guardian and The Sunday Times. The successful applicant will be expected to play a significant part in shaping their role and that of the panel.
The CAA expects the Chair to be appointed this spring and the consumer panel to be up and running soon after. An application pack is available from the CAA.
By Linsey McNeill
