In a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), it was decided that a boarding pass is sufficient proof of a confirmed flight booking. The case concerns two passengers who flew from Tenerife to Warsaw on a package holiday and demanded compensation due to a significant delay of more than 22 hours. However, the airline refused to pay compensation because it considered that the copy of the boarding passes was not sufficient as valid proof of a confirmed booking.
The Polish court referred the case to the ECJ, which did not share this view. The ECJ ruled that passengers who have presented themselves for check-in and boarded the flight with a boarding pass can generally assume that their booking is confirmed. The ECJ made it clear that it is the airline that must prove whether the flight was offered either free of charge or at a reduced price, and that such a reduction is not automatically excluded by booking through a tour operator. In the event of a significant delay, European air passenger rights provide for compensation of up to 600 euros, depending on the flight route.
The ruling strengthens the rights of passengers and makes it clear that boarding passes are sufficient proof of a confirmed booking, regardless of whether the flight was booked at a reduced fare or not.
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