§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will bring forward proposals to require that bookings made and confirmed with airlines can be changed only on the personal instructions of the passenger.
§ Mr. NorrisI have been asked to reply.
There are circumstances in which airlines have to change confirmed reservations for reasons beyond their control. The Government do not wish to introduce undue rigidities, but we are aware of cases in which passengers with confirmed reservations have been transferred to alternative flights before they have presented themselves for boarding, even though the flight on which they were booked had not been cancelled. Unlike passengers who are transferred at the check-in desk, such passengers are at present not entitled to compensation under EC law (Council Regulation (EEC) No. 295/91 on Denied Boarding Compensation).
My Department is looking into this matter to see whether a change to the EC regulation might be desirable and practicable.