proof of being a passenger on delayed flight
 

Hello one and all,
I wish to claim flight delay compensation from Thompson Airlines for flights in 2010 for 2 people.
I have the holiday booking reference number, flight dates, flight numbers etc but DO NOT HAVE THE BOARDING PASSES as proof of taking the flights.
My question to you being.
If I write to Thompson Airlines requesting proof of our being on the flights, can they refuse/ignore my request ?
Does the CAA (or similar) request that they keep the passenger manifest for a set length of time.
Can I get this information from another source ?
thanks in anticipation

Why was the flight delayed?

I can't think of any reason why an airline would keep 5-year-old passenger manifests. Sounds like you're out of luck.

Manifests are usually kept for 2 years as a rule of thumb although some may keep them longer.

As someone that has worked within commercial aviation for some years the EU261 stuff really bugs me. Why compensation is not a percentage of a ticket rather than a flat rate is beyond me.

However given your flight was 5 years ago and no doubt you have moved on with your life do you really have to claim? It is no wonder airlines struggle to make money now a days.....

Totally agree - EU261 bugs me too

Don't bother applying, 99% chance TOM will get away with extraordinary circumstances.

Thankyou for your replies,
The reason I wish to start a claim so late is purely on the grounds that because of recent court judgements I was approached by a specialist claim company. I recollect experiencing delays on both legs of the holiday, 6 hours on the outward trip, 15 hours on the return trip. We were given, at the time, a printed flysheet about the delays to claim off our holiday insurance.
I primarily take out travel insurance for medical & repatriation cover, not to provide Thompson Airways with a get out position.Thompson Airways was not very helpful at all in the situation.
Maybe the recent court judgements will put up the ticket price, so be it, airlines must take their responsibilities seriously.

I think your ambulance-chasing friends would be the best source of information. They're unlikely to move forward if they don't see a reasonable chance of winning.

And by the way its Thomson not Thompson.

No wonder they are not co-operative if you cannot get their name right.

Does the average Joe really not understand the implications of these claims? Do they not understand that the only long term effect is that all flights and holidays will end up being more expensive?

I have worked for several UK airlines scheduled and charter and none have done other than everything possible to avoid delays. from subbing in aircraft and chartering light aircraft to ferry spares. Yes some airlines handle their public PR better than others granted.

Eu261 is madness. Do you claim when your bus turns up late? If an accident closes a motorway do we all claim of the driver who caused it? If your life is still ruined by a 15 hour delay 5 years ago then theres something wrong. By the way did Thomson not accommodate you and provide refreshment vouchers during your delays? Hmm thought so.

Why should they pay you if you cannot prove you were on board? Sure I could say I was on board at that rate.


And I would have thought that an airline's responsibility if primarily to get you from A to B safely. And for those of us who fly a bit higher ticket prices because people are occasionally inconvenienced is a much larger issue than the odd delay.


Have you nothing else you could be doing with your life?

A couple of years ago Ryanair used to break down the price of a ticket and if I remember correctly the portion attributable to EU261 compensation was €2.50/£2.50 per passenger. Now based on their estimated passenger figure of 90m for 2015 that gives them a figure of between €225,000,000 and £225,000,000 additional revenue and most of it pure profit. How much have they paid out in EU261 claims? No wonder everyone envies their business model.

The ambulance chasers don't give a his #### about the ramifications of this crazy law, they are pretty much at the end of the PPI feeding frenzy and this is the next trough to feed from. Frankly I'm amazed at the polite replies that you have received on this forum. The bottom line is that everyone who travels will eventually pay for this in increased fares.

When I replied to this topic I had to edit my response a few times as I was a bit harsh and thought there would be backlash. How relieved i am to see most people saying the same thing I was going to say.

Have to tell you DOBEYPETE, I think the reasons for your claim are weak and pathetic. Whatever the trauma was that you encountered 5 years ago you landed back in the UK alive and I do not believe the delay has been pressing on your mind all this time. The morons behind the claim companies do not know the rules and requirements behind EU261 they, like the culture the UK is adopting more and more, just see pound signs.

The cost of EU261 to airlines is rediculous. The trains I use weekly are appalling - rarely on time and often cancelled as they do not have enough drivers. I get nothing but live with it. Airlines have problems because they are running complex operational businesses and passengers often fail to recognise this - as do the big wigs behind EU261.

Didn't a Ryanair manifest help prove the case against Chris Huhne some 8 years after the event?

The statutory period for claiming under EU261, in England and Wales, is six years from the date of flight. This was established by the Court of Appeal in a case involving Thomson last year, in which precedent was maintained and EU261 claims were determined to fall under national law, not the Montreal Convention.

Small Claims in England and Wales:

You'd best hurry up.

Unlike airlines, which can take their sweet time about conveying you on your journey. After all your time is less important than their bottom-line...


If your train journey was international then COTIF compensation applies.


I believe there is also a maritime equivalent. Those meddling Eurocrats, eh? Can't they just stick to picking on airlines?

So OP wants to enrich some bottom feeding lawyers and decries he hasn't got the proof.

I think that the OP has a right nerve asking for help in this matter on a forum essentially created for people in the industry. Why should we help people who are hell bent on destroying our livelihoods and adding to the cost of every airline ticket in the future. I'm not arguing that you can claim, simply that you should direct your questions to the blood sucking vultures who suggested you should claim. Personally, I hope you and the rest of your sort have a long and irritating battle to ultimately end up with nothing. Good night.

If it's 2010, it could well be due to Eyafjallawhatchamacallit (those sigmets were fun to read out....). The idea that the airlines should have to compensate people for acts of god is ridiculous. Plane went tech? That's fair enough. Rostering messed up so crew are out of hours, also fair. But situations like the inbound diverting due to a sick passenger on board, then waiting ages for fuel or de icing or whatever at the diversion should not be covered.

El Bunto - no not international. The compensation rules are very different for "domestic" trains and are not as strictly supported by other agencies (the CAA being quite tight on EU261) When compared to internal flights these do not differ in the sense that you get the same whether it's domestic or international with just the amount of compensation varying by km flown.

My own personal morals would not force me to claim compensation some 5 or 6 years after a flight. Simple as that.