Travel agents sue air charter firm for €220,000 after Irish rugby fans stranded in France
The passengers were allegedly stranded because of an earthquake in Morocco.
Stein Travel and Rugby Travel Ireland are seeking combined damages of more than €220,000 against Maleth Aero in a legal action just lodged in London, according to a claim filed with the court.
Rugby Travel Ireland and Stein Travel hired a French broker to arrange charter flights for the fans as part of the package sold to them. That French firm then signed an agreement with Maleth Aero on the travel agents' behalf to provide the charter flights to Bordeaux from Dublin in September 2023.
The charter contract provides that any legal action in connection with the agreement should be heard by the commercial court in London.
Two flights departed Dublin on September 8 for Bordeaux, without incident. On the same day, there was an earthquake in Morocco.
The passengers were due to return to Dublin on September 10 after watching Ireland defeat Romania in an 82-8 thrashing.
As a result of the delayed flight, the claimants' customers were required to incur additional costs for food, overnight accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotels
However, on the day the passengers were due to return on two flights, Maleth Aero informed the French broker that the earthquake in Morocco had a 'notable impact on its schedule'. It blamed 'vibrations' from the earthquake for having caused mechanical issues with its aircraft.
Maleth Aero later informed the French firm that the flights would be rescheduled to September 11.
'As a result of the delayed flight, the claimants' customers were required to incur additional costs for food, overnight accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotels,' notes the claim.
It's alleged that Maleth Aero agreed to refund the costs of accommodating the passengers.
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But further delays ensued, and later on September 11, Stein Travel informed its customers that they would have to make their own way back to Ireland.
On September 12, the French broker ultimately had to hire another aircraft at a cost of almost €44,000 to bring remaining passengers home.
The travel agents claim that Maleth Aero was required to indemnify them in relation to the money reimbursed to their customers, but that the charter firm failed to do so.
The agencies also claim that Maleth Aero was required to provide compensation to the rugby fans under the EU 261 rules that govern such payments to passengers in the event their flights are delayed.
The two Irish firms are looking for damages, and/or repayment, of just over €220,000.
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