Ombudsman seeks court decision against Finnair

The consumer rights ombudsman has taken Finnair to court for allegedly not paying full statutory compensations for all flight delays that would justify a compensation, local media reported on Wednesday.

Under the EU law, a compensation must be paid for most types of delays. The compensation ranges between 200 and 600 euros. The sum varies based on the destination and the length of the flight affected.

The ombudsman complained that Finnair often offered a gift card or other arrangements that fall short of the statutory payments. When a customer has accepted the Finnair offer, he or she has then given up the right to the statutory compensation.

The ombudsman is seeking now a court decision that would prohibit the present Finnair practice, according to media reports.

In a press release on Wednesday, Finnair claimed the stand taken by the Finnish consumer ombudsman differs from the approach in many other EU countries.

Finnair's position reportedly is that EU courts have set precedents which show that airlines don't have to pay compensation if the delays or cancellations result from a technical fault caused by design or production mistakes.