EasyJet continually fights customer compensation claims despite losing 50 cases: Report

British low-cost airline easyJet is engaged in ongoing legal battles against travelers seeking compensation for cancelled flights. The airline has lost over 50 such cases since the beginning of 2025, but it continues to pursue litigation, according to an investigation by BNR.

easyJet operates several “rotation flights” from Schiphol Airport every day. These are flights that use the same plane, such as Amsterdam - London - Amsterdam - Prague - Amsterdam. If earlier flights in the sequence are delayed, easyJet sometimes cancels subsequent flights, the broadcaster found.

Passengers who arrive at their final destination with a delay of three hours or more are generally entitled to compensation. Airlines may contest damage claims by citing “extraordinary circumstances” - circumstances beyond the airline’s control. Since the start of 2025, easyJet has invoked “extraordinary circumstances” in dozens of cases. The court ruled against the airline over 50 times.

easyJet often invokes Schiphol’s night-time operating restrictions when fighting claims. In over 20 studied cases, the airline argued that it had to cancel the last flight in the rotation because it cannot operate flights late in the evening at Schiphol. In several of these cases, the court pointed out that easyJet can request a night slot at Schiphol to allow for that landing. But operating at night is more expensive as Schiphol applies different rates for night flights.

The airline also often cancels the second-to-last flight when there are delays, so that the aircraft isn’t still at the wrong airport the next morning and the crew doesn’t have to stay overnight in that location. Since the start of last year, easyJet has argued in court 31 times that it had to cancel the second-to-last flight in the rotation due to Schiphol’s nighttime operating restrictions. Each time, the court ruled against easyJet. According ot the court, easyJet’s logistical challenges do not justify the cancellation. “Passengers should not have to bear the consequences of the commercial decisions made by the carrier,” a court said in a 2025 ruling.

Marco Loos, a professor of consumer law at the University of Amsterdam, is not surprised by the broadcaster’s findings. “It is attractive for airlines to contest these claims, even when they know that the court is almost certain to rule against them,” Loos said. “Many consumers, upon receiving an initial rejection, will simply give up - whether out of fear of high legal costs or a lack of awareness.” The claims that actually make it to court are likely just the tip of the iceberg of rejected claims, he told BNR.

According to Loos, easyJet is allowed to keep making the same argument in different cases. “Whether it is appropriate to do so when the court’s position is already clear - that is another question entirely.”

easyJet denied the picture painted by BNR, telling the broadcaster that it assesses each claim on an individual basis.