Airlines have already started canceling flights in the wake of the fuel crisis. And even if the war in the Middle East ends relatively soon, analysts see the aftermath as long-lasting.
This is how Henric Jonsson, legal advisor at the Swedish Consumer Agency, answers the question of what applies when a flight does not depart.
An airline cancels a flight and reports fuel shortages. What happens then?
Regardless of why your flight is cancelled, you have the right as a traveler to be offered a choice by the airline. You should be offered the choice between rebooking onto another flight so that you arrive as quickly as possible under the same transport conditions, or a refund of the ticket.
If your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before you are due to travel, you may in some cases be entitled to compensation, he continues.
There may be exceptions.
So you can get both the money back for the ticket and additional compensation for the inconvenience?
Exactly. But there are exceptions to compensation: extraordinary events beyond the airline’s control.
Whether fuel shortages are considered such an event may need to be examined in court or by a regulatory authority.
What applies when an offer to rebook is made?
It depends a bit on where you are. It can include compensation for transport home from the airport and back to the airport the next day. If you are traveling and this applies to your return trip, you may be entitled to food and drink during the delay, and you may be entitled to hotel accommodation, says Henric Jonsson.
Review insurance policies
Another situation that could arise in these times: you have two flights booked to get to one place. But one of them gets canceled. What happens then?
If it is a single booking, meaning both flights are included in the same reservation, then you may be entitled to rebooking or a refund so that you can reach your final destination.
But what if there are two separate bookings?
Then you may not be entitled to a refund for the second flight if it operates normally.
What else should you consider?
Check your insurance. And travel with a buffer so that you can cope if you get stuck somewhere before you can receive or claim compensation afterwards, says Henric Jonsson.
