Airline passengers won almost €350,000 in compensation and refunds last year for delayed flights, cancellations, and denial of boarding.
A total of 3,152 separate cases were submitted to the aviation regulator, over half of them – or just over 1,600 – linked to flights that were cancelled.
Another nearly 1,400 cases related to lengthy delays on flights while 144 people complained about being denied boarding to an aircraft.
There were also a small number of cases, eleven altogether, that related to disputes with airlines over downgrades or upgrades on flights.
A total of €228,000 was paid out in compensation in around 300 different cases, according to a database released by the Commission of Aviation Regulation.
The largest single compensation payment of €5,200 related to a delayed Thomson Airways flight.
There were three compensation payments of €3,000 involving Aer Lingus, two for cancellations and one for a delayed departure.
Two further €3,000 payments of compensation were also granted for delayed flights with Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.
A combined €121,145 was paid out in expenses and flight refunds by airlines to just over 240 passengers.
Large payments in that category included €3,956 for a cancelled flight with Qatar Airways and €3,856 for a cancelled Westjet trip.
Some expenses refunds were tiny however, running to just €6 for one delayed Ryanair flight and €6.25 for another cancelled flight with the low-fares airline.
Of all the complaints that were filed last year, around 1,450 of them have already been closed while 1,210 remain under investigation.
The remainder of the cases were filed later in 2022 and are still classified only as “submitted” in the database provided.
Unsurprisingly, Aer Lingus and Ryanair were responsible for most complaints as they operate the vast majority of flights from Irish airports.
There were just over 1,250 complaints about Aer Lingus, which was hit with a wave of cancellations in September due to a high-profile IT failure.
A total of 830 complaints were made about Ryanair, followed by TAP Portugal at 116, KLM at 90, and Lufthansa at 90.
Of the 144 total gripes about being denied boarding, only a handful have so far been successful with many closed without compensation or refunds being paid.
In one case involving TAP Portugal however, a passenger was awarded compensation of €1,200 and a refund of €123.50.
Another case with Lufthansa saw the complaining passenger getting €1,200 in compensation and expenses of €791.99.
In eleven cases related to airline downgrades or upgrades, six were closed without any compensation or refund being paid to the complainant.
A refund of €600 was paid in one case involving Aer Lingus however but no compensation.
Under EU law, passengers have the right to seek compensation for issues with their flights related to delays, cancellations, or being denied boarding.
Flights departing from Ireland that fall under EU regulations can be investigated; however, flights returning here have to be dealt with by the member state in which the airport is located.
Information on what passengers need to do if they do wish to lodge a complaint about a flight is available through the website www.flightrights.ie
