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We are receiving a number of questions about passenger rights during the current disruption to flights to and from the UK.

Airlines are taking a pragmatic approach to the situation aimed at being able to return to normal operations as soon as possible. It is inevitable and sadly unavoidable that some passengers will be considerably inconvenienced. The answers below will help answer some common questions regarding the situation as at 9am 11th August.

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The Office of Fair Trading has announced an investigation in the UK airport market, a move that is likely to see scrutiny of the way in which the BAA Group has operated in the key market areas of London and Scotland.

The recent acquisition of BAA by ADI, a consortium led by the Spanish group Ferrovial will not affect the terms of the OFT inquiry. ADI has promised full co-operation with the OFT.

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Alliance & Leicester customers who take the bank to the Small Claims Court to recover unfair bank charges are now being asked to take their business elsewhere.

Customers are increasingly aware that the level of charges levied by banks when overdrafts are exceeded, or payments returned, are considered unfair. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) ruled in April that any charge over £12 would automatically be classed as unfair, warning banks and credit card companies that they could face legal action if they failed to comply.

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A few days ago, BMI Regional announced that they were closing their service between Edinburgh and Stornaway due to insufficient demand. The airline ensured there would be no inconvenience to their customers already booked by transferring their tickets to the continuing British Airways service.

When the route was introduced a couple of years ago, many might have been puzzled as to why a remote Scottish island would be interested in another daily service to the capital. However, increases in tourism, and the developing governance of the Scottish Executive would have been good reason to believe that passenger numbers were likely to increase. Whilst numbers have increased, so has the capacity of the Loganair planes, and there are simply too many empty seats to make it worthwhile for BMI to ...

Strong warnings from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have caused Barclaycard, HSBC and Lloyds TSB to reduce their credit card penalty charges by almost half.

On 5th April, the OFT announced that it considered the high penalty charges made by many credit card companies to be unfair and illegal. It warned companies that if they would be defending their charges in court if they didn't take swift action to bring the charges down to a maximum of £12. Penalty charges are made when a borrower misses a payment date or exceeds their credit limit, and should only be set to cover certain administrative costs.

Yesterday the BBC ...

The budget airline Ryanair has announced an almost immediate closure of its Dublin to Cardiff route having failed to reach an agreement with Cardiff Airport over passenger charges.

The route closed on May 1st, with passengers only being offered a transfer between the two airports until May 10th. The situation starkly demonstrates how passengers can be quickly inconvenienced when a carrier fails to agree terms with an airport or other supplier.

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The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has successfully stopped claims by a company that claimed its magnetic jewellery could offer pain relief and reduce swelling.

Magna Jewellery Limited had suggested that magnetic therapy could help with a variety of medical conditions and that scientific research backed up their claims. Another company Magno Pulse is shortly to meet the OFT in the High Court having refused to co-operate with their requests to change their advertising of magnetic therapy products.

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The digital services company Telewest has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Watchdog (ASA) for falsely suggesting that its broadband service was available to all of its customers.

The company aired a radio ad that suggested all customers in a Telewest area would be able to benefit from its combined broadband, TV and phone service for £30. In reality, nearly 4% of Telewest customers are unable to receive the digital service and therefore not eligible for the offer. Attempts by the company to argue that stating "conditions apply" would cover this eventuality were rejected by the ASA.

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The train operating company in the Midlands, Central Trains has been awarded an extension to its franchise until November 2007.

The company has been given new terms to encourage service improvements. It will be required to operate the existing timetable. The extension helps facilitate the re-mapping of franchises in the Midlands, which was announced by DfT in October 2005. Three new franchises - East Midlands, West Midlands and Cross Country - will replace the current four franchises operated by Central Trains, Silverlink, Virgin Cross Country and Midland Mainline.

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An Essex motor dealer, Ellite Carriages, has been refused a consumer credit licence by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) after it was found a director of the company had recent criminal convictions.

Ellite Carriages Ltd of Harlow in Essex, had its application for a consumer credit licence refused on the grounds that Marlon Gordon, a director of the company, was convicted on 31 October 2002 of conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

As a result, the adjudicator decided that the applicant was not fit to hold a consumer credit licence and accordingly the application was refused.

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