Aviation ADR

Service Standards

Our service promise

Our aim is to resolve disputes fairly, reasonably and quickly; and ultimately to reach the correct outcome in every case.

You can expect the following service standards

• We will always be polite and courteous in our dealings with you

• We will provide and receive information in different formats upon request and will endeavour to accommodate all of your needs

• We will review all information and evidence that you provide (unless provided outside of our timetable)

• We will use plain English in all of our communications, where possible

• We will finalise most cases within 90 days of receiving a complete complaint file and will notify you of this date

• We will be fair to both parties throughout the procedure

• We will act in an impartial manner at all times

Independence and Impartiality

Our independence and impartiality is at the heart of all that we do, as an alternative dispute resolution scheme. To this end, we have the following strict rules in place and must satisfy the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that these are adhered to at all times:

Neither CDRL nor any employee nor other individuals who work with CDRL (including complaint handlers, adjudicators, management team and the Independent Assessor) shall i) hold shares in any airline or airport that CDRL deals with ii) receive any remuneration that is linked to the outcome of a case and iii) shall declare any circumstances that give rise to a conflict of interest
CDRL must treat both parties to a complaint equally and fairly
CDRL must consider all information and evidence (provided on time) provided by both parties
CDRL must not discriminate against any party
CDRL must ensure that all outcomes are based on i) the law ii) what is fair and reasonable and iii) the balance of probabilities, giving full reasons for all decisions made.
CDRL must ensure that fees charged to airlines are not linked in any way to the outcome of cases

In addition to the above CDRL produces case data and statistics to the CAA on a quarterly basis, which is then published. Checks and balances can be kept from this data in relation to cases found against and in favour of passenger/airline. You can view these stats here

Our board of directors, which includes independent directors, also maintain a watching brief over cases processed by CDRL by randomly checking case files.