Flybe collapse ‘dreadful news’ say Airporter as affected passengers issued with advice

Regional carrier Flybe confirmed last night that it has entered administration, meaning that all flights are cancelled with immediate effect.

Reacting to the news, Jennifer McKeever, Director of Airporter said: “The news that Flybe has gone into administration is dreadful news. Flybe has provided a vital service for thousands of commuters who use the airline on a regular basis to travel from Northern Ireland to work in Britain or further afield.

“As a peripheral region, connectivity for NI is absolutely crucial, whether it’s to encourage inward investment, to encourage indigenous business to expand and sell to other markets, or to encourage more visitors to the region, flights into and out of Northern Ireland are key to investment, business growth and tourism.

“The loss of this service will be hugely damaging to our economy because it breaks that connectivity from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK. Not only does it make life harder for many businesses who rely on these regional routes, but it also will have an impact on our tourism industry at a time when we are trying to attract more visitors to our shores.”

Meanwhile the Consumer Council has issued important advice for customers with flights booked on what their rights are now.

Sinead Dynan, Director of Regulated Industries at The Consumer Council said: “The Consumer Council recognises that this is a difficult time for both Flybe passengers and staff. For any affected customers, your rights will differ depending on how you paid for the flights.

“If you booked directly with the airline: Customers who bought their tickets separately with a personal credit card may be able to claim their money back from the credit card provider under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. To be eligible, you will need to have paid more than £100 for each separate flight. If the flight was cheaper, or you used a debit card, you may be able to use the ‘Chargeback’ scheme that card issuers are signed up to. You have to make your claim within 120 days.

“If you bought your flights as part of a package with an ATOL travel firm and received an ATOL certificate: You should be ATOL protected. Contact your travel firm for more information.

“If you booked through an airline ticket agent: You should speak to the agent in the first instance as they may have provided travel insurance that includes Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (the type of protection provided may vary depending on the type of policy taken out).”

For more information, see The Consumer Council’s ‘Safer Ways to Pay’ leaflet and our ‘Company Going Out of Business Factsheet’ on our website www.consumercouncil.org.uk or telephone 0800 121 6022 to speak to one of our Consumer Protection team to get further advice.