States refuses to pay Flybe compensation

THE States has rejected Flybe's claim for compensation after industrial action by airport firemen caused the cancellation of eight of its flights. The airline claimed '41,000 after 400 of its passengers had their travel disrupted and chaos ensued across its network.

Flybe general manager market development Ian Taylor confirmed yesterday that the claim had been turned down.

'We are reviewing our position on what may or may not happen next,' he said.

'We have tried to seek an amicable resolution to this because we feel our airline and passengers were disrupted due to the failure of Guernsey Airport to provide fire cover.'

The airline had to stop operating when cover dropped below the minimum set by the airport for larger aircraft.

Flybe maintains that it could have kept flying under its own Civil Aviation Authority-approved procedures.

'We offered a solution which would have meant we could have operated that day without any disruption,' said Mr Taylor.

The problems occurred on Saturday 16 April.

Queues built up at Flybe's check-ins from mid-afternoon until 6pm, when the airline announced that all its flights were cancelled.

Students returning to university were forced to go back home and one man spoke of his sadness at being unable to be with a dying friend in the UK.

Flights affected involved the London Gatwick and Southampton routes.

The airport firemen's dispute hinged principally on a '5 per week conditional payment which the Public Sector Remuneration Committee had agreed to make to other employees from April but not to them.

The PSRC stood by its decision and said there were special reasons for doing this.

But less than a week after their work to rule disrupted the Flybe network, the firefighters won their case at a hastily-convened sitting of an independent industrial tribunal, forcing the committee to reverse its decision.

The Public Services Department yesterday did not wish to comment.