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A recent ruling by the UK's Supreme Court has established that passengers are entitled to compensation for flight delays or cancellations caused by airline staff sickness. This decision, which sets a significant legal precedent, came after British Airways appealed a case involving passengers Kenneth and Linda Lipton, who were delayed due to pilot illness.
The Liptons' flight from Milan to London in January 2018 was delayed by more than two hours. They sought compensation of approximately £220 ($285) under EU261 regulations but were initially denied by British Airways on the grounds that the pilot's illness constituted "extraordinary circumstances." Two lower courts upheld this view before the UK Court of Appeals reversed the decision in favor of the Liptons. British Airways then took their appeal to The Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, five justices unanimously dismissed British Airways' appeal. Lord Sales and Lady Rose stated in their judgment: "If, for whatever reason, [staff] are unable to attend for work as a result of something going awry during rest periods, whether it is their fault or not, that failure to attend is not an extraordinary circumstance."
