Chinese low-cost carrier Spring Airlines has broken new ground for the budget sector and stolen a march on Ryanair by blacklisting passengers who claim compensation for flight delays.
The International Law Office reports that Spring Airlines passengers on a flight delayed by eight hours in April sued for compensation and were awarded Rmb200 (£20) each.
However, Spring Airlines banned the passengers from boarding any future flights arguing they had “used forceful methods” to claim the compensation.
The airline confirmed it had blacklisted the passengers for “unruly behaviour”.
Yi Liu of the Run Ming Law Office in China reported there are no rules governing passenger compensation in the country and low-cost carriers are free to make their own rules.
The report for the International Law Office quoted professor Zou Jianjin of China Civil Aviation University saying: “When the passengers purchased tickets from Spring Airlines, they were informed there was no compensation.”
It added: “This is not an isolated case. Many airlines have created blacklists to restrict or limit problem passengers.”