Who gets to keep the compensation?

[Memba]

This may well be hypothetical as airline hasn't agreed to anything yet but in the event that they do, who gets the money?

Situation as follows... DH and I took DC1 (18) and DC2 (15) overseas for a week for half term. Each DC brought a friend (same ages).

Both friends parents paid for their flights at approx £250 each. We paid for accommodation, car hire and activities/food/drink. They were effectively our guests.

Return flight was delayed by over 24hrs at fault of airline. I have checked and we are entitled to 600euros compensation per passenger. I have submitted claim on behalf all passengers.

In the event that the airline pays out, who gets the compensation?

Each passenger gets 600 Euros meaning friends parents make a profit on the holiday? Or we refund value of flight and keep the rest as contribution towards the cost of the trip.

FWIW DH and I are both financially disadvantaged by delay (self-employed) so actually lost income. The teenagers had no loss of earnings but got a free bonus night in a star hotel!

So, my AIBU is, in the event that airline cough up, do keep the majority of the compensation?

YANBU - refund flights to parent of each teen and keep the rest
YABU - give each set of parents the full €600

Or some other split?

Thanks for your update of 16.58 yesterday, OP.

I am another who believes that the compensation if forthcoming must be offered back to the parents or DC, but should not be accepted. Great to hear that at least one family agrees.

If the money materialises, let’s hope the other family comes around. However it took over a year before my parents saw a cent from BA after a truly horrific series of cancellations when they tried to visit us back when we belonged to the EU. They were probably successful because DF is very stubborn and eventually filed in Small Claims court in my home country. About a week before the court date BA dropped the money into their account with no comment.

This. You each had to deal with the delay so you should each be compensated equally. Your choice to take them. Doesn't matter how much anyone paid

Can you explain why it shouldn’t be accepted?
The OP will be reimbursed for any additional costs. They aren’t out of pocket.

This is separate compensation, an apology for making the passengers wait around. It goes to each traveller. It shouldn’t be offered to the parents; it should be given to the kids who travelled. That’s who it is for.

Why should the OP have extra money? She will get her own compensation, why should she have two extra compensation payments which are given out as an apology to the travellers.

Even as a parent of one of the kids I would be fine just getting the cost of the airfare back.

Hi, @Thedm I think it’s taking the high road for the families to acknowledge that OP and her DH bore the brunt of the inconvenience, as well as having been generous hosts from the evidence we have.

It is possible that one of the DC was significantly inconvenienced, but not very likely. OP has presented that the DC basically had an extra day of holiday in a luxe hotel. That’s what it would have been for me at that age and, in the absence of unmentioned responsibilities, what I think it would be for most kids lucky enough to belong to the comfortable middle class. So if the DC guests were happy enough with the delay, ideally the parents of the child guests would meet grace with grace (perhaps taking back the original airfare if money is tight). At least, that is my thinking

If you've submitted a claim on behalf of all passengers, won't the airline issue seperate compensation to each passenger?

I’d be really pissed off if I discovered op had kept £350 out of compensation due my child. The choice isn’t hers to make.

If the parents accepted a profit, knowing that you paid for accommodation, food etc they would be massive CFs imo.

Thank you for acknowledging that @poetryandwine

Someone up thread suggested that all passengers were equally inconvenienced, which is simply not true. All equally delayed? Yes. But inconvenienced? No.

The DCs had a night in a suite in a luxury hotel with their BFFs, stuffed their faces at an all you can eat buffet and we bought (the older ones) cocktails etc. They had a great night.

We had to rearrange work commitments/cancel meetings for the following day, rearrange onward transfer from airport in UK, dog boarding etc and lost a day's income.

As I have been informed by some very knowledgable posters, the compensation is per passenger so all of the above info (including who paid for hols/tickets etc) is irrelevant.

The passengers will get their compensation (if we ever see it). What they choose to do with it is their business.

But why? It’s compensation for the kids having to wait. That’s what it is for. It isn’t a refund on the holiday, it has nothing to do with holiday or flight costs.
It’s compensation. The OP is getting her own compensation. She enjoyed her holiday; she doesn’t need a refund or to get any money back for it. She doesn’t need their compensation. It isn’t hers.
The compensation goes to each individual traveller. Some will end up with a profit, others won’t. Same as if you flew business and your company paid; you get the compensation and make a profit.

Why is everyone acting like the OP is somehow missing out? She is being reimbursed for costs plus getting her own compensation on top. Why should she get everyone else’s as well? It doesn’t belong to her, not legally, not morally.

If the families choose to give it to her, as one has done, then that’s lovely of them. But it is THEIR choice, not the OP’s as it isn’t her money. She cannot just steal it. And it sounds like she planned to do just that; steal it.

Would you like to go around every passenger on the flight and see who wasn’t actually that inconvenienced, and then take their compensation to split it between the passengers who actually were? No, you wouldn’t do that. Same thing here.

It isn’t about level of inconvenience. It is simply a blanket payment to all travellers who has to suffer the delay; regardless of how much they enjoyed that delay. Stop trying to find ways to validate your attempt to steal money from others.

You can ask the parents. They might let you keep it.

@Thedm have you actually read and understood all my previous posts?

I asked a question at the start about what would be the right thing to do. I have acknowledged I was wrong and I have taken necessary steps to ensure everyone gets what they are entitled to (if we ever get it).

I think it's very unfair of you to continue accusing me of trying to steal anyone else's money.

I was simply responding to a previous post about different levels of inconvenience.

Obviously in the minority here but if someone had offered to take my kids for 1 week overseas and only asked for flight money, unless there was a cost incurred by me for the delay or a loss for my kids, I would be delighted if offered the flight money back, but in truth would not have expected anything and just been super grateful that you had taken such good care of my kids even when things went to shit in the end. What the flip is wrong with people at the moment - this entitlement is bloody unreal!!

Compensation belongs to those who experienced it, not who paid. Compensation is a kind of apology of sorts for the experience of the delay/cancellation/etc.

I never had to think about this until a holiday I paid for got compensation for, for me and an ex. I was going to keep it until she asked, then I thought about it a little bit and thought the above was the fairest way to think about it. We'd split up a while, so I could've acted any way I wished, but it it felt right to share equally. Of course, by common consent, it can be distributed differently

No, compensation is if you experience inconvenience or a loss. If you didn't, its not a bloody entitlement!! Where do you think the compensation money comes from? Do you think the airlines go and print money to give you money grabbers some extra dosh for Christmas??? No, they do not! The OP is claiming because the OP GENUINELY was inconvenienced AND experienced a loss because they couldn't work and lost money. If your kids were on hols and it was a holiday camp and the flight was delayed do you think they would just graciously look after your kids out of the goodness of their hearts? Would they ####! Just unreal. Absolutely unreal. I feel like I'm actually living in an alternate universe where no one can see beyond the end of their nose. Bring on global warming and the end of humanity I say!

It is an entitlement. By law, you are entitled to it purely because you experienced a delay. You don’t have to have suffered any financial loss. Even if you’re a teen and enjoyed the extra night, you still experienced the delay and are legally entitled to a payment as an apology.
You are completely wrong. Like it or not. You’re completely wrong.

I have no words, it really makes me despair 🤦🏻‍♀️

It gives airlines an incentive not to fuck up. Delays are often out of their control, but very often not.

Interestingly in the case of compensation for a car accident I had to go to court and wear that my kids would have their money deposited in a bank account until they turned 18 and could access it. Was about £1.5k each though and they were quite young. It has been put in a bank account but one they can actually access now - although they haven’t spent it as I keep the book!! I was surprised that I didn’t just receive one cheque for us all.

It is not your money to keep. The compensation is set at €600 per passenger even though the flight was much cheaper because each passenger lost a day of their lives. Each passenger deserves their compensation.

When I got compensation from BA for flights I’d paid for me and DP they wanted written confirmation from DP that he was happy for them to pay the compensation to me. They’re compensating the person inconvenienced NOT the cost of the flight from my understanding.

Sorry, seems that legally I'm wrong, still don't think it's right. The money should go to whoever experienced the loss IMO