Wizz Air ordered to revisit rejected passenger claims

Rejected passenger claims against Wizz Air will be re-examined after an "unprecedented" intervention by the UK's aviation regulator.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is taking action following concerns the airline has not been paying passengers what they were owed for cancelled or delayed flights.

The action could lead to claims over the past six years being reopened.

Wizz Air said significant improvements had already been made.

The regulator highlighted passenger frustrations about not being provided with alternative flight options when theirs was cancelled, which is a legal obligation.

Wizz Air has committed to look again at claims for replacement flight costs, transfers when replacement flights were via different airports, and care such as hotel costs.

"We made it clear to Wizz Air last year that the way it was treating passengers was unacceptable," Paul Smith, the CAA's joint-interim chief said.

Under the action, Wizz Air will have to look again at rejected claims for flights to or from the UK from 18 March 2022 onwards. Passengers do not need to take any action for these claims to be reviewed.

Passengers with flights up to six years ago can also ask the airline to reopen their cases.

Wizz Air said it had introduced an automated refund process to deal with passenger claims.

"We know that we need to rebuild trust, and we want to show our customers how serious we are about making improvements for the future," Wizz Air UK managing director Marion Geoffroy said.

Wizz Air has been the worst major airline for flight delays from UK airports for two years in a row. The company said it had improved punctuality in 2023.