Wizz Air under fire in the UK due to failing to pay money owed to passengers

The Hungarian low-cost carrier operating numerous short-haul flights between British cities is under fire from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The body issued an unprecedented statement raising “significant concerns” because the company did not pay a lot of County Court Judgments. In August, an analysis found that the Hungarian budget carrier was the worst airline for flight delays from UK airports in 2021.

The worst airline in the UK?

According to the Independent, Hungary-based Wizz Air came under fire by Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority for “unacceptable” treatment of customers. The authority’s consumer policy head, Anna Bowles, highlighted that Wizz Air has the highest number of those passenger complaints that enter into an escalated stage. That means a court decides on them since the airline cannot settle the issue with the passenger.

The Hungarian low-cost airline had 811 grievances per million passengers between July and September. That is the highest rate in the United Kingdom, much higher than in the case of EasyJet (245), Ryanair (235), or British Airways (166).

“Passengers have every right to expect their complaints and claims to be resolved quickly and efficiently and to be treated fairly by airlines,” the Independent quoted Ms Bowles.

Read also: Important notice: Wizz Air introduces a passenger-friendly regulation

Wizz Air closes one of its flights to Portugal

CAA is concerned with Wizz Air because of the volume of complaints and claims received by alternative dispute resolution (ADR), the delays in processing and paying claims, and a lot of County Court Judgements against the Hungarian airline.