Air Travel Complaints In Greece Drop In 2009

Complaints made last year by passengers against airline companies dropped 13 percent when compared to 2008, according to data released by the Civil Aviation Authority.

According to the data, during January-December 2009 the authority received a total of 556 complaints against 644 complaints made in 2008 for the same period.

Out of the complaints, 360 of them referred to flight cancellations and delays and overbooking incidents and the remaining 196 concerned lost or damaged luggage.

In 417 of the reported cases (75 percent) passengers were compensated. The remaining 139 cases are in the process of a final solution.

The authority said that nine carriers that had refused to comply with the rules in 2009 were fined.

Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004, airlines have to pay damages in the event of denied boarding, flight cancellation or long delay and damaged or loss of luggage. The amount of compensation increases with the number of miles of a flight.

According to the authority, if an airline refuses to honor its obligations under European Union regulation 261/2004 then passengers should report the incident to the airport manager and if necessary, to the central office in order for the problem to be resolved.

Contact for complaints: 210 8916150, 210 8916193 and fax: 210 8947132.