NetNeutrals EU may refuse to assist with a dispute in the event that the consumer has not attempted to contact the airline/airport regarding the complaint.  Other reasons include, the dispute is frivolous or vexatious, the dispute is being or has been previously considered by another certified ADR provider or by a court, the value falls below a reasonable monetary threshold (as determined by the airline/airport and NetNeutrals EU when the service agreement is set up), or the consumer has not submitted a complaint within the specified period of time (as determined by the airliner/airport and NetNeutrals EU when the service agreement is set up - not less than 12 months from the date the consumer and airline/airport were unable to reach a satisfactory resolution to the initial complaint).  Additionally, NetNeutrals EU would refuse a case that would seriously impair the effective operation of the ADR process.  This would include claims that would monopolise NetNeutrals EU resources, be in direct conflict with NetNeutrals EU programme rules, or be considered a conflict of interest (in which impartiality would be in question).  NetNeutrals EU reserves the right to reject a dispute at any time in the process should it come to light that a party deliberately misled the programme.
Both parties are informed immediately following the initial eligibility review if a dispute is rejected as ineligible.  Written notice is sent by the method the request was made (either electronically or by post).  Eligibility reviews are done within the first two days of receiving a claim.  Therefore, notification of ineligibility will be sent within one week.  

NetNeutrals EU cases must be filed within 12 months from the date the airline/airport were unable to reach a satisfactory resolution to the initial complaint.  

ADR can be a swifter and cheaper alternative to court action to getting your claim resolved. However, if you choose ADR and are not happy with the outcome, then you may decide to pursue your claim through the courts afterwards. If so, you can only do so if you have not left it too long to bring your court claim. Any claim has a limitation period (or time period) after which a claim cannot be brought before the court.

As regards discrimination under the UK Equality Act, this is dealt with by the County Court (in England and Wales) and the Sheriff Court in Scotland. County and Sheriff court deadlines for discrimination cases are six months less one day from the date of the incident you are complaining about. Information about how to bring a civil claim in the County Court (England and Wales) can be found on Her Majesty's Court Service website, and for Sheriff court claims in Scotland from the Scottish Court website.

There is also the possibility of seeking legal advice as regards compensation under SI No. 2833 / 2014 “The Civil Aviation (Access to Air Travel for Disabled Persons and Persons with Reduced Mobility) Regulations 2014. The timeframe for taking such a case is also, within 6 months from the date of the incident.

The timeframe for taking a case to court under EU directive 261/2004 is 6 years from the date of the incident.

The time limit for bringing a breach of contract claim is 6 years from the date of the breach.

Detailed information about the civil procedure rules can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. Practical advice, including a helpline, as regards equality and human rights is available from the Equality Advisory Support Service.

ODR stands for Online Dispute Resolution.  NetNeutrals EU's ODR system is an process which provides parties the means to resolve disputes in an online setting; that is secure, convenient, and easy to use.

The average length of time for direct negotiation only is one week.  Once an ODR official is invited into the process, the time extends for an additional one to two weeks.  In-person resolution services can take up to 90 days from initiation of dispute to resolution.

Posting your case to the forum is fairly simple.  First, login to your case.  Once logged in, you can select "reply" to any of the comments you see on the forum thread.  You can enter as many comments as you feel necessary to support your case.  You also have the option to upload photos and other documents.

The process is free to the consumer.  The airline/airport pays a nominal fee for participation.

NetNeutrals EU suggests that you check the forum for your case at least once a day.  However, the more often you check, the more likely you'll be able to respond to postings quickly and resolve your dispute faster.

If you are having trouble logging in, please check your ID and password.  Occasionally, the system will temporarily "lock out" users that have entered incorrect login information multiple times.  If you are locked out, please wait a few hours and then try to login again.

If you continue having trouble, please contact us.

The process is available for both domestic and cross-border disputes; involving e-commerce, motors, and travel.  Other types of disputes may be considered as part of a private agreement.

The complaint can be no more than one year old and the consumer must have attempted to resolve the dispute directly with the airline/airport before starting a case.

Consumers cannot file with more than one dispute resolution service or reapply once a case is concluded.

The process is voluntary for both the airline/airport and the consumer. 

A Neutral is an independent, third party Mediator or Adjudicator invited into the process to help find a solution.  NetNeutrals uses professional Neutrals with expertise in the subject matter in dispute and the applicable law.

The NetNeutrals EU process has two distinct Neutrals; a mediator and an adjudicator.

A Mediator is invited into the forum after the end of the conciliation process.  The Mediator helps the parties to effectively communicate with one another and may propose a solution that can be either accepted or rejected.

An Adjudicator will join the forum after the mediation phase should an acceptable resolution not be reached.  The Mediator and the Adjudicator are never the same individual.  The Adjudicator reviews the case thoroughly and then makes a determination as to which proposed solution is fair.

The Neutral is a trained professional Mediator or Adjudicator with experience in online dispute resolution.  Neutrals also possess experience with subject matter relevant to your dispute.  The Neutral must be independent, and impartial, not having any professional or personal knowledge of either party to the dispute.

The NetNeutrals EU process is a secure, confidential forum for resolving disputes.  Basic information about the dispute is reported to regulatory authorities, as required.  However, only the parties to the dispute and the Neutrals assigned to the case can access the forum postings.  NetNeutrals EU administration monitors the forums for compliance with the rules, and is subject to strict confidentiality requirements.

The parties are provided with a selection of potential Neutrals randomly drawn from a pool of qualified candidates.  The parties then rank the potential Neutrals.  The Neutral with the highest score is assigned to the case.

After you click the submit button, your screen should refresh. The new comments will post at the bottom of the screen; you may need to scroll down to view them.

If you are redirected back to the home page, you may have "timed out".  If you take too long to write your comment, your session may have reached its time limit.

It is recommended that you do not compose your post directly in the forum. Compose your post in a word processing document then “cut and paste” it into the forum. This process will allow you to save your comments in the event you have problems posting to the forum. Shorter postings are easier to read than very long postings. If you write a lot, make many shorter posts rather than one long post.

If your problems persist, please contact us.