Flights - Hot drinks are spilled on you
Passengers can sue airlines if hot drinks are spilled on them, regardless of whether turbulence or other flight-related factors are to blame, EU court rules.
The European Court of Justice said such injuries don't have to be linked to issues typically associated with air travel to provide grounds for a passenger to seek damages.
The airline said it was not liable since the incident was not covered by the Montreal Convention, which governs compensation for the victims of air disasters, for delays and damage or loss of luggage.
The convention does not define the word 'accident'.
The court said that the ordinary meaning of 'accident' and the Montreal Convention's aim of balancing the interests of airlines and passengers meant damages should not be restricted to flight-related hazards.
The EU court said in a statement that 'it is not necessary for that accident to relate to a hazard typically associated with flight'.
An airline may be exonerated from its liability by proving that a passenger caused or contributed to the damage.