A Facebook group of delayed Virgin passengers has finally received a payout of 60,000 euros following the landmark Huzar ruling at the Court of Appeal last month.
Aviation lawyers Bott & Co said it had seen a trend towards airlines settling claims that have been on hold for months following Mr Huzar’s victory, which meant airlines may no longer be able to use technical faults as a blanket excuse to avoid compensating passengers for flight delays.
The group of more than 100 delayed air passengers who came together on Facebook first contacted the CAA for advice on their right to compensation following the ordeal.
They were first told they had a valid claim under Regulation EU261 but a few days later the CAA sent another letter to say there had been a mistake and their flight did not qualify for compensation.
Travellers on board Virgin flight VS16 on October 27, 2012 were scheduled to depart from Orlando, Florida at 19:35 but were delayed by 26 hours on their way to London Gatwick.
They recieved 600 euros each from Virgin Atlantic.
Kevin Clarke, Aviation Lawyer at Bott & Co, said "Since winning the case for our client Mr Huzar, we have seen a general trend towards airlines settling claims that have been on hold for months. This is great news for consumers and we hope this signals the dawn of a new era of a much easier and smoother process for claiming flight delay compensation."
A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said: "As a gesture of goodwill Virgin Atlantic has settled some existing court cases that were previously stayed pending the Court of Appeal decision in Huzar.
"Going forward, the lasting impact of the Huzar decision on new cases remains uncertain and we are continuing to monitor developments in this area closely. "
