Flight Delays: Passengers entitled to food and airtime, could get accommodation, says FCCPC

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Tuesday said passengers are entitled to food, airtime, and, in certain instances, accommodation, in cases of delayed flights.

FCCPC’s Director, Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, said this on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

“If your flight is delayed, you are supposed to be given refreshments. After some more hours of delay, you are supposed to be given airtime.

“From what we understand from the books and the law, you are supposed to be given airtime because you could be seen to be at least in distress. So you will be required to be assisted to that extent,” Ijagwu said on Tuesday’s edition of the breakfast show.

The FCCPC director explained that in cases of abrupt flight cancellation, passengers could get transportation and accommodation from airlines.

“When it gets to cancelling the flight abruptly, and you had kept consumers all through that time, it’s required even outside of the law. Even if you were in other climes, you could tell that in such a situation, just like you mentioned, transport will be provided because the airport is quite far from the town or city,” he said.

“Apart from that, accommodation could be provided in certain instances. So, given the exact situation, we could just put this side by side with the exact situation as it would have occurred to be able to determine what should have been given and what has been denied.”

The FCCPC director’s comment followed continued flight delays, suspensions, and cancellations by airline operators in the country.