May 2012

On March 29, 2012, the Swedish Högsta domstolen has referred the following questions to the ECJ for preliminary ruling:

• Does the carrier's liability for damage caused by delay under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention also include cases where the passengers' arrival at the destination is delayed as a result of non-operation of a flight? Does any importance attach to the stage at which the flight was cancelled, for example, after check-in?

The European Commission has adopted its strategic vision for EU consumer policy for the years to come which aims to maximise consumer participation and trust in the market.

On May 15, 2012, ECJ Advocate General Bot has delivered his opinion in two pending cases where the national courts sought a review of the "Sturgeon"-Judgement. In this judgement, the Court of Justice had ruled that passengers whose flights are delayed may be treated, so far as the right to compensation is concerned, in the same way as passengers whose flights are cancelled.

On June 5, 2012, the German Civil Supreme Court (BGH) will hear two cases involving flight cancellations due to airline personnel strikes. In one case the appelate court (LG Köln) had held that the operating carrier may not refer to a strike of its own personnel as an "extraordinary circumstance", in the other case the second instance court (LG Frankfurt/Main) had decided to the contrary.