EU urges airlines to compensate passengers for volcanic ash

Brussels, May 4 (Xinhua) The European Commission 4th urged airlines to provide compensation to passengers affected by the volcanic ash. John, EU commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, said thousands of consumers were affected by the cancellation or postponement of flights, and they had the right to demand respect for their legitimate rights and interests. He also called on consumers to make claims to airlines without hesitation.　　If such legitimate and reasonable demands are not met, consumers can seek help from the European Consumer Center.　　Currently, the European Consumer Center has issued a handbook on how consumers can defend their rights, with the European Commission. Iceland's volcanic ash, which began in the middle of last month, caused air traffic chaos in many European countries.　　European airlines suffered losses of about 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion euros as a result of volcanic ash from the Icelandic volcano that caused massive cancellations and closed airports, the European Commission said in a preliminary assessment April 27. EU officials stressed that the extra spending on food, beverages, accommodation and transit costs for consumers affected by the ash should be compensated by airlines. But if the consumer has received the airline's refund service, then the airline will no longer need to compensate the consumer.