A consumer group is calling for stronger action against airlines who cancel flights and fail to give refunds, saying no UK airline has been fined in 20 years

• UK airlines should face stricter rules over cancellations and giving refunds, a consumer group says.
• Which? says 2.3 million people in the UK weren't refunded for flights they couldn't take in the pandemic.

Consumer group Which? is calling for stricter regulation of airlines operating in the UK and stronger fines against them, saying airlines have engaged in 'unlawful' behavior for 20 years.

Which? said Friday in a press release that UK airlines have escaped financial penalties and fines for 20 years since the Civil Aviation Authority was given the power to apply enforcement on airlines in 2003.

It pointed out that delayed and unpaid refunds from airlines were a major issue during the pandemic when flights were cancelled, as well as in 2022 when travel returned to normal and demand for flights surged massively.

Over 24,000 complaints about airlines in the UK were made to the CAA in 2020, in regards to regulation EC261 which requires airlines to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled.

Around 2.3 million people in the UK were not compensated for flights they couldn't take during the pandemic, according to the release.

Which? has submitted repeated complaints to the CAA about poor airline behavior including when British Airways failed to reroute passengers after flights were cancelled in April 2022 and EasyJet in June 2022.

The CAA failed to take meaningful actions in both instances. However, in the US BA was fined $1.1 million for unpaid refunds during the pandemic after its Transportation Department received 1,200 complaints about BA delaying refunds, per the release.

Which? said that the CAA "urgently needs stronger enforcement powers," like the ability to fine airlines to hold them to account.

"The US government fining Britain's flag carrier when our own authorities are powerless to do the same makes a mockery of aviation regulation in the UK, which has been failing travellers for 20 years," Which? Directory of Policy and Advocacy, Rocio Concha said in the release.

Concha was referring to British Airways being fined $1.1 million in the US over unpaid refunds to customers whose flights were delayed or canceled since the start of the pandemic.

"Passengers have repeatedly endured unfair and in some cases unlawful treatment by some airlines in recent years and meaningful action is long past due.

The UK's Department for Transport introduced new regulations for airlines on Tuesday including giving the CAA the power to issue "fines for breaches."