Only five per cent of Irish consumers know all their rights when they fly, according to a survey published by the European Consumer Centre (ECC) this morning.
The study, launched ahead of European Consumer's Day tomorrow, found that amongst the air travel regulations which people remain sketchy about include time limits on compensation claims for damaged baggage and what an airline’s obligations are in the event of long delays or cancelled flights.
The survey carried out amongst passengers departing from Dublin Airport last week found that 49 per cent of passengers did not know they were entitled to information on their rights from an airline if it cancelled their flight.
Only 18 per cent of passengers knew that if their flight was delayed by five hours or more, they were entitled to a reimbursement of their ticket if they decided not to fly.
Some 65 per cent did not know that if their luggage was lost or delayed by an airline, the maximum amount of compensation they could get was €1150.
Only 5 per cent of all respondents to the questionnaire were able to correctly name three of their rights guaranteed under law.
The findings fit in with recent research carried out by the European Commission which shows that Irish people are less likely to make a consumer-related complaint than the average European.
ECC manager Ann Neville stressed how important it was for consumers to know their rights. “If for example, your luggage is damaged or delayed you are entitled by law to compensation from the airline with some conditions. However, in the case of damaged luggage, a claim has to be made within seven days of delivery. In many cases, people are still on holiday when the deadline to make the claim has expired, " she said.
