Strasbourg, 04/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - This Wednesday 4 July, travellers have been able to receive free advice on their rights, in 28 airports located on European soil, from representatives of the European consumer centres (ECC network). With increased traffic over the summer due to start in this first week of July, the Commission wishes to remind all passengers that they have rights which must be observed by transport and travel operators. This is particularly important as the ECCs received tens of thousands of claims in 2011 regarding the cross-border purchases of goods or services, and in view of the fact that one in five of these complaints concerned air travel, flight cancellations, delays, lost baggage or unfair commercial practices, such as price supplements. These centres work as a heavyweight ally for passengers in the event of disputes in the course of their journey. “European consumer centres are helping citizens with practical cross-border consumer problems every day and often help solve disputes quickly and easily”, John Dalli, European Health and Consumer Commissioner, explained on Wednesday. His fellow commissioner in charge of transport issues, Siim Kallas, stressed that passengers should be aware of their rights and know who to turn to in order to enforce them. To this end, “the Airport Day just before the summer holidays is another great opportunity for passengers to get useful information about their rights when travelling by air”, the commissioner concluded. (MD/transl.fl)