£5000 victory for man who put easyJet in dock
A disgruntled passenger who took easyJet to court is the first person in Britain to be awarded compensation from the airline in a landmark ruling.
Criticism: Judge said the airline 'acted unreasonably'
Giles Instone's flight to Geneva for a ski break with friends was cancelled because of a booking error by the airline, and he was forced to pay for another flight later that day.
He used European Union rules to argue that the airline broke the law by failing to inform him of the error two weeks in advance.
Mr Instone, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, told how he went down the legal route after his attempts to contact the airline were met with a wall of silence.
A judge accepted that easyJet acted 'unreasonably' and he was awarded £600 to cover the flight he had to buy from another airline plus compensation, and his £4,438 legal costs.
It is thought to be the first time the airline has been forced by a British court to pay compensation to a customer for failing to meet its legal obligations. Experts believe it could open the floodgates to further claims.
Mr Instone, 59, who runs an air freight company, said: 'They were clearly in the wrong - they held on to my money and made it incredibly difficult for me to get them to put things right and pay me back.
'I know this experience happens to lots of other people so I really hope my victory will stop budget airlines from behaving badly towards their customers.'
In a judgment at Central London County Court, easyJet was criticised by Deputy District Judge Lawrence, who said the airline 'acted unreasonably by not conceding right at the outset'.
An easyJet spokesman said: 'We got it wrong. We would like to apologise to Mr Instone.'
Most watched Money videos
- BMW meets Swarovski and releases BMW i7 Crystal Headlights Iconic Glow
- Mini Cooper SE: The British icon gets an all-electric makeover
- MailOnline asks Lexie Limitless 5 quick fire EV road trip questions
- BMW's Vision Neue Klasse X unveils its sports activity vehicle future
- The new Volkswagen Passat - a long range PHEV that's only available as an estate
- How to invest for income and growth: SAINTS' James Dow
- 'Now even better': Nissan Qashqai gets a facelift for 2024 version
- Mercedes has finally unveiled its new electric G-Class
- Mini celebrates the release of brand new all-electric car Mini Aceman
- 2025 Aston Martin DBX707: More luxury but comes with a higher price
- Land Rover unveil newest all-electric Range Rover SUV
- Tesla unveils new Model 3 Performance - it's the fastest ever!
- MARKET REPORT: Vodafone shares rally as investors cheer...
- Santander offers £175 to switch your current account -...
- Savers rush to open new savings accounts paying up to...
- Why 16 to 24-year-olds are putting their parents to shame...
- De Beers eyes £4bn London float as Anglo bids to fend off...
- My neighbour has started keeping bees. Is there anything...
- Marston's losses narrow amid hopes of summer sporting...
- I don't want smart meters, so Eon is charging me £316 to...
- Hundreds of jobs at risk as Anglo slashes funding for...
- ANOTHER UK tech star is bought by US private equity: KKR...
- Axe stamp duty on British shares, says Flutter boss as...
- Tesco boss pockets £10m in biggest ever pay deal at a UK...
- Experian shares rise sharply as credit data giant lifts...
- Golden Virginia owner Imperial Brands bolstered by higher...
- The best month to sell your car REVEALED - and why SUVs...
- BUSINESS LIVE: Burberry hit by luxury slowdown; Imperial...
- How refreshing that Anglo has chosen not to grab the...
- Royal Mail's future hanging in the balance as bid...