Authors : Raed Ahmed Khalil, Nurli Yaacob and Khadijah Mohamed
Abstract: The Warsaw and the Montreal Conventions governing international air transport do not explicitly address particular areas of the relationship between the passenger and air carrier which have recently attracted attention of the authorities towards increasing regulatory activity. The most important areas of the increased regulatory activity are the assistance to passengers in cases of air travel disruption including denied boarding, long delay and cancellation of flights. At present, many states and groups of states have enacted legislations to address these issues and protect consumers in air transport sector; either through the enactment of specific legislation such as EC Regulation 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the adoption of government administrative rules such as "Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections: Final Rule" which was issued by the US Department of Transportation (DOT). This study attempts to provide an overview of consumers’ rights according to these legislations which led to significant benefits for consumers in air transport sector and grant them rights much wider than the limited rights granted by the Warsaw and the Montreal Conventions. These legislations have led to improvement of the rendered services, increase the consumer options and improve the relationship between air transport industry and passengers. This should encourage other countries to adopt a similar legislation on consumer protection in air transport specifically or by including consumers in air transport in general legislation.
Raed Ahmed Khalil, Nurli Yaacob and Khadijah Mohamed, 2016. The Legal Rights of the Consumer in Cases of Air Travel Disruption. The Social Sciences, 11: 5111-5115.