Who regulates UK airlines?
Who is responsible for overseeing and regulating airlines in the UK?
In order to ensure safe and efficient air transport in any country, there usually is some form of regulatory authority that oversees the industry. In the UK, this responsibility falls on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It is CAA’s responsibility to make sure that air passengers have a safe journey every time they fly — but what exactly does it mean in real life? How does CAA protects you and me?
Read on to learn more about this topic.
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1. Who regulates UK airlines?
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates UK airlines.
In the United Kingdom, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates airlines and their activities. The CAA is the official body that oversees all aspects of aviation in the UK, either directly or indirectly. In certain situations it does mean also flights that are operated by non-UK airlines.
CAA is a public corporation of the Department for Transport.
2. What is CAA?
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a government organization that is responsible for making sure that all things related to airplanes and flying are done safely and legally in the United Kingdom.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is in charge of regulating aviation safety, determining policies for airspace usage, ensuring airlines are licensed and financially stable, issuing pilots' licenses, equipment testing, and conducting other types of inspections.
The CAA is also responsible for ensuring that all UK-based airlines comply with European aviation regulations, as well as national safety standards. Additionally, the CAA also acts as a consumer protection body, overseeing fares and services offered by airlines in order to ensure they are fair, transparent, and consistent. Yes, — the CAA also acts as a consumer protection body.
More on the latter further below.
3. CAA and air passenger rights
Yes, — one of its functions is to protect you (an air passenger).
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ensures that airlines follow European regulations to protect passengers' rights and ensure fair treatment while travelling. It acts as a consumer protection body. It enforces the passenger rights regulations — EC 261/2004 and Regulation UK261.
The CAA provides passengers with protection if their flight has been delayed, cancelled or overbooked. If the delay, cancellation or overbooking is within the airline’s control, they will investigate the incident and, when appropriate, instruct the airline to compensate passengers for the inconvenience.
In the UK, you can get compensation of up to GBP 520 if your flight has been delayed for 3 or more hours, cancelled last-minute or overbooked.
As long as the disruption is the airline’s fault.
3.1 Regulation UK261
Just like the EU Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, the Regulation UK261, is a law that provides passengers with protection if their flight has been delayed, cancelled or overbooked.
Specifically, it outlines the criteria under which passengers may be eligible for compensation for any distress caused by these incidents. In addition, the regulation also sets out guidelines on how airlines should manage such cases and details measures that can be taken to ensure passengers’ safety and convenience.
One of the tasks of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is to act as a consumer protection body and make sure airlines comply with European regulations, including the Regulation UK261. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has the power to enforce airlines to pay compensation to passengers in certain circumstances.
Please remember that there are certain requirements that your flight must meet in order for you to be eligible for compensation.
You can get compensation if:
- Flight is delayed for more than 3 hours,
- Flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure,
- You've been denied boarding because of overbooking.
It also must be your airline's fault (including technical problems).
3.2 How CAA can help you in making a compensation claim?
One of the ways in which CAA can help you is by consultation, if you are trying to get an UK flight compensation for your delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight.
However, you should first make sure that you meet the criteria outlined in the Regulation UK261. Then contact the airline directly to inform them about your situation and request compensation. Find out how you can make a compensation claim on your own.
If the airline does not respond or does not provide a satisfactory response, you can then contact the CAA, which will assess your claim and will provide advice on how to submit an official complaint. CAA may also instruct the airline to provide appropriate compensation in accordance with applicable regulations.
3.3 How to make a claim with CAA?
You can make a claim with CAA by filling out the online complaint form on the CAA website.
You will also need to provide any supporting evidence and documentation to back up your claim. Because you need to prove that delay or cancellation of your flight was not due to extraordinary circumstances. This could be in the form of an email or statement from the airline confirming this.
You may also be required to provide a copy of your ticket and any other relevant receipts as evidence that you were entitled to be on the flight in question. Finally, if you suffered any financial losses due to the delay, you should provide copies of invoices, bills or bank statements to demonstrate this.
Once your complaint has been submitted, the CAA will investigate and review it before deciding whether or not you're entitled to compensation. A positive CAA decision, however, doesn’t guarantee that the airline will pay immediately, or at all. That’s one of the reasons why many decide to work with a flight compensation company instead.
Do you have more questions about the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and passenger rights in the UK? To make a claim with us, just click on the link in the menu.
By Europe and EU we mean all EU Member States, the United Kingdom (UK), Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint Martin, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
Featured photo by Sora Shimazaki