The Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed the claim of eleven Czech Airlines passengers who have requested compensation for a more than eight-hour delay in a flight to Bangkok, although it was caused by other airlines from a non-EU country. Czech Airlines have operated the first part of a stopover flight to Abu Dhabi, and Etihad Airways operated the second flight. There was a delay in the second part of the trip.
Complainants have purchased CSA tickets from Prague to Bangkok with a stopover in Abu Dhabi. The first flight operated by CSA was without delay. The second flight, operated by Etihad Airways, based in the United Arabian Emirates, had a delay of 488 minutes. Given that the delay was more than three hours, the question was whether passengers who had tickets from a carrier in an EU Member State were entitled to compensation.
On Thursday, the Court recalled that a flight with one or more successive flights that are subject to a single booking under EU rules constitutes a single unit in respect of a passenger’s claim for compensation.
According to him, this also applies in the case of a flight to a non-member country with a stopover in another non-member country where a non-member country carrier made the second part of the journey. According to the court, CSA can claim compensation from Etihad Airways once the compensation is paid.
The Code Sharing Agreement means that carriers will sell tickets to each other for their flights. This is a common thing in the air transportation sector. It allows airlines to expand their flight offerings without having to operate additional routes.