Airlines May Get Burned by EU Court Ruling on Coffee Spills
- Court ruling makes airlines liable for hot coffee accidents
- Six-year-old girl sought compensation after dad’s coffee spill
Photographer: Stewart Sutton/Getty Images
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It might be harder to get hot coffee at 30,000 feet after the European Union’s top court said that airlines can be held responsible for injuries caused by spilled drinks, even if it isn’t clear how the cup got knocked over.
“An airline is liable for the harm caused by a spilled cup of hot coffee,” the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled Thursday. “It is not necessary for that accident to relate to a hazard typically associated with flight.”