Passengers delayed for 24 hours in Barbados, can they claim compensation from TUI?

A TUI flight scheduled to depart the island of Barbados on January 24 was delayed for more than 24 hours. Passengers have stated that they were obligated to spend the night at the airport because their flight got delayed after the aeroplane suffered from a technical issue. The captain announced, after an initial delay of 4 hours, that the flight had in fact been cancelled.

Passengers were supposed to receive care from TUI because of the cancellation

To make things even worse for their passengers, TUI quickly stated that they would not accommodate the passengers in a hotel. The airline argued that hotels were fully booked due to England’s cricket team playing against the West Indies in Barbados.

Furthermore, TUI distributed meal and refreshments vouchers for around 11 GBP but the passengers noted that most restaurants and stores were closed by the time the airline’s crew handed out the food coupons. The airline released an official statement that reads “'Due to limited available hotel options we were unable to source accommodation for all customers. (…) We did everything possible to minimise discomfort for customers overnight, and they have today been transported to a beach restaurant, where they are being provided with meals and refreshments until their scheduled departure time”.

One internet commenter that claims to have been on the plane did say that “people with children and the elderly were rightly given priority and hotels were found for as many as possible. Once the handlers realised that they couldn¿t get hotels for everyone they bent over backwards to make us as comfortable as possible and organised coffee, hot chocolates, pizzas, burgers etc. Not perfect but we weren¿t just left to fend for ourselves. Next day we were taxi¿d to a lovely beach resort”

Finally, the issue was solved and the passengers were flown back to the UK arriving at Gatwick 24 hours later than scheduled. And so, the question comes up, can they claim compensation for their delay?

Our answer, Yes! Even though their flight did not originate from inside the EU, they were flying with a European carrier and they arrived at their destination with a delay greater than two hours (unfortunately around 24 hours for this delay). We believe that all of the passengers affected in flight TOM021 from Barbados to London Gatwick are entitled to compensation!

Flight delayed or cancelled from outside Europe whilst flying with a European carrier? Claim compensation!

Flight-Delayed is here to help them with any problem they may encounter. Especially if TUI refuses to compensate them for the time lost and possible damages caused. According to the flight’s route, the passengers are entitled to €600 in compensation (around £521).

If you were on the flight and need assistance claiming your compensation, enforcing your rights or if you’ve ever been on a similar situation, we’ll check your flight for free and you can then decide to submit a claim with us on a no win no fee basis. Our 25% success fee covers all the legal costs we might incur in while claiming your compensation!

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