One Sky Claims Solutions (OSS) announced its arrival in Malta. OSS was established to assist airlines dealing with EU261 and Montreal Convention passenger related claims.
The company will be exclusively supported in its activities in Malta by Maltese law-firm DF Advocates and its Aviation Department.
Jim Callaghan, the CEO of OSS, has been in the airline industry for over 20 years and started as general counsel at Ryanair and then served as general counsel of Etihad Airways before heading up OSS.
Speaking about OSS, Callaghan said “EU261 is now costing airlines billions of euros each year. The EU Commission’s recent Steer Report on the impact of EU261 found the total cost of this legislation to be €5.3 billion in 2018, which equates to almost half the total profitability for the European aviation industry in that year. The OSS Solution helps airlines to reduce these massive costs, while increasing customer loyalty.
“The OSS EU261 Solution was established to assist airlines in dealing with a piece of legislation that was originally designed to compensate passengers for abusive commercial practices by airlines but has now morphed into essentially a strict liability to pay their passengers in almost all circumstances where their flight is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled ‒ even when these disruptions are completely beyond the control of the airline. The Commission’s recent Steer Report on the impact of this legislation found a total cost of this legislation to be €5.3 billion in 2018, almost half the total profitability for the European aviation industry in that year. The OSS Solution helps airlines to reduce these massive costs, while increasing customer loyalty.”
Speaking about the effect that the coronavirus pandemic has had on OSS business, Callaghan added: “Like all aviation-related businesses, OSS has been impacted by COVID-19 but, of course, not to the extent of the airlines themselves. The OSS Solution is now even more important for airlines as they will be looking for all possible ways of reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Many airlines have also had to lay off large numbers of employees so this kind of outsource solution is perfect for airlines and removes the internal hassle of dealing with these claims.”
EU261 is now costing airlines billions of euros each year
Alessia Scortini, the operations manager for OSS, is a qualified lawyer. She previously worked in different law firms in their aviation practices and, most recently, managed EU261 claims in the Italian market for low cost carrier, EasyJet.
Scortini said she joined OSS to assist airlines in dealing with this problem, having seen the damage EU261 is doing to airlines.
“We wanted to offer a complete solution to airlines dealing with this terrible piece of legislation. The OSS EU261 Solution allows airlines to send all of their EU261 compensation claims through the OSS System and they are dealt with efficiently and at the lowest possible cost.
“This innovative way of tackling the EU261 problem dramatically reduces the airlines’ costs of claims management but also helps to reduce the overall number of claims that airlines experience. By having all of an airline’s data on one system, i.e., the OSS Platform, the airline can use data analytics to determine where delays and cancellations are occurring within their network and try to prevent them from happening again in the future. OSS, therefore, provides a comprehensive solution to the problem of EU261 claims.”
Scortini added how Malta is a fantastic leisure destination but is also attractive for business passengers.
“There are numerous European and foreign carriers operating year-round services to Malta. Unfortunately, these airlines will almost certainly have large numbers of passenger claims under EU261 and the Montreal Convention. It is thus crucial to have a law firm like DF Advocates to support airlines in the Maltese market.”
OSS’s network of expert law firms dealing with EU261 and Montreal Convention passenger related claims include: ASB Law (UK); Augusta Abagados (Spain); Bach Advokater (Denmark); Carvalho Matias & Associados (Portugal); Chevrier Avocats (France); DF Advocates (Malta); Kadrant (Belgium); KKLW (Poland); Lexia (Finland); Macchi di Cellere Studio Legale (Italy); Moll Wenden (Sweden); RDJ (Ireland); Raeder (Norway); Tsibanoulis & Partners (Greece); Vyskocil, Kroslak and Partners (Czech Republic); Vogeler Rechtsanwalte (Germany and Austria).
For more information, visit www.one-sky-solutions.com.