Harry Snook
Harry Snook leads Oracle’s Aviation teams across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring that each of Oracle’s airline clients benefits from a consistently excellent legal service that is as adaptable, responsive, and international as the aviation industry itself.
Harry’s work focuses on three key priorities:
- Providing airlines with a comprehensive, cost-effective solution to the handling of large-scale passenger rights litigation. Oracle prides itself on being able to deliver at scale while still maintaining excellent quality standards and outcomes, and Harry works closely with airline clients to optimise processes and tailor our service to their precise needs.
- Bringing strategic vision to airlines’ litigation strategy, by supporting our clients to improve case law, deliver cost-savings and take the initiative away from predatory claims management agencies.
- Facilitating easy access for our clients to Oracle’s industry-specific expertise in employment law, aircraft leasing and other commercial agreements, personal injury defence work, regulatory investigations, and other legal services.
Harry is a practising barrister with over ten years’ experience in private practice before he joined Oracle in 2017. With a strong personal track record encompassing representation at the Court of Appeal, High Court, County Court and Employment Tribunal, he brings an advocate’s expertise to case preparation and ensures that our clients benefit from clear, goal-oriented advice.
Every airline has a unique mix of legal service needs. Get in touch with Harry via our London office to find out how Oracle’s flexible, international service can support you to improve both your legal and cost outcomes.
Notable Cases
- RightNow GmBH v British Airways plc (2020) Harry was instructed as counsel in this matter and was successful in securing the dismissal of the claim. The Claimant, a German "legal tech" company, specialises in buying up - for a fraction of their face value - passengers' legitimate claims to a refund of air passenger duty which is no longer chargeable due to the passengers' cancellation of their tickets. The court agreed that this violated BA's terms and conditions, which ensured that the refunds went only to the passengers themselves.
- Goldsmith v Olympic Air SA (2020) Harry represented Oracle's client Olympic in this case, which concerned passengers who had missed their connecting flight because of delays at airport security. He was successful in securing the dismissal of the claim. Importantly, the court agreed that our client was not required a build an extra safety margin into its schedule over and above the airport's minimum connection time.
- Carta v Turkish Airlines Inc. (2020) Our client Turkish Airlines faced a compensation claim over a missed connecting flight. Represented in court by Harry, our client was found to have taken all the necessary steps to attempt to avoid the resulting delay, despite the high standard set by the European Court.
Director - Global Head of Aviation
Areas of Expertise
Education & Memberships
- Member of the Inner Temple, Bar Vocational Course (Outstanding, 2006)
- Bar Vocational Course (Grade: Outstanding; Inns of Court School of Law, 2006)
- Common Professional Examination/Postgraduate Diploma in Law (Commendation, 2005)
