Guiding Principle: Compensation claims are valid only if passengers check in, regardless of prior knowledge of significant delays.
Case Text:
AG Cologne, Judgment of 21 July 2023 – 149 C 119/23
A recent ruling dismissed a compensation claim under the EU Passenger Rights Regulation. The main issue was that the passengers did not board the flight in question. The court stated that compensation claims under the regulation apply only to passengers who actually take their flight. Furthermore, it clarified that passengers aware of significant delays must still check in. Since the passengers did not board the flight and there was no evidence that they were aware of the delay, the court found no grounds for compensation.