Fair. Independent. Accessible.

Resolve your airline complaint with AviationADR - for free!

We’re approved by the Civil Aviation Authority to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services for disputes between passengers and airlines, operating across the UK and EU.

Our service is completely free for passengers, and once you accept our decision, the Participating Member airline/airport is bound by it.

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Resolve your airline complaint with AviationADR - for free!

Participating Members

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Key Information

We can only deal with a complaint if it is currently unresolved, concerns an airline or airport that is a Participating Member of AviationADR, and relates to an issue covered by our Scheme Rules.

We can deal with complaints related to the following issues:

Flight Delays or Cancellations
Denied Boarding
Damaged, lost or delayed luggage
Destruction, damage or loss of items worn or carried by a passenger
Problems faced by disabled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility
Issues of unfair trading
Pricing
Misrepresentation

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We are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of service. With AviationADR, you can expect:

Independence
Our independence is at the heart of everything that we do. As such, all stakeholders of our service (consumers, airlines and regulators) can rest assured that we are not influenced by any party, organisation or any other external source. In this respect, our decisions are based on the facts of the complaint, evidence produced, the applicable law and regulations; and where appropriate, what is fair and reasonable.

Expertise
Our entire team is highly trained and skilled in aviation claims. Final decisions and awards are delivered by qualified adjudicators.

Transparency
As an independent, impartial organisation, it is vitally important that we operate like an ‘open book’ so that all stakeholders have complete trust and confidence in the decisions we make.

Resolution Time-frames
Once we have collected all relevant information and evidence from the parties, we will issue a Final Determination within 60 days.

The Complaints Process

Step 1

SUBMIT YOUR COMPLAINT:

You submit your complaint, with all your supporting information and evidence, via any of the following:

1) Our online complaints portal
2) Post (using a paper form)
3) Telephone

… and we check whether it is something we can deal with under our Scheme Rules.

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STEP 2

WE REVIEW ELIGIBILITY:

If your complaint is in scope for AviationADR it gets registered.

You’ll then receive log-in details for our online portal where your claim will be managed.

If we can’t accept your complaint, we’ll tell you why in writing, within 3 weeks.

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STEP 3

AIRLINE/AIRPORT RESPONDS:

The airline/airport is given 28 days to provide a response. They may:

Settle the complaint
Object that it falls out of our scope
Provide a written defence challenging the complaint

Their response is then posted in the Passengers’ Portal.

If the airline/airport raises a scope objection, this is considered first, and the response period is paused while we do so.

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STEP 4

YOU COMMENT ON THE DEFENCE:

If the airline/airport chooses to provide a defence:

You get 1 opportunity to comment on their response;

You get a 14-day window to do this.

The airline/airport is then given a single opportunity to provide any final comment in reply.

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STEP 5

COMPLETE COMPLAINT FILE:

We confirm that we have all information and evidence from both parties and declare a Complete Complaint File.

From this point, no further information or evidence is accepted from either party, to ensure fairness to both.

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STEP 6

FINAL DECISION:

A specialist Adjudicator issues a written Determination within 60 days of the Complete Complaint File (Step 5).

This time-frame is extended only for highly complex cases, where we will tell both parties the expected timescale.

After our Decision:

The Final Decision is only legally binding on the airline/airport if you accept it. You get 14 days to either accept or reject it.

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Regulated and monitored by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)

AviationADR is administered and managed by Consumer Dispute Resolution Limited, an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution provider approved and certified by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to resolve disputes in the aviation sector.

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