At the beginning of COVID-19, back when we were all obsessing about Carole Baskins, we saw pictures of all the way empty flights. Then there was a period where you couldn't fly at all unless you had a really good reason. Things started easing up a little bit in June, and as of December, Southwest and Delta will be the only airlines spacing the passengers on their flights. On one hand, the airlines are businesses, and they have employees to pay, but on the other - aren't they putting their passengers at risk of more than just air travel delays by packing them together during a global pandemic? This guide will cover the impact COVID-19 has had on the airline industry, what we think flying post-vaccine will look like, and some tips on how to stay safe if you do have to fly. Start getting your questions answered.

The whole global industry faces a high volume of economic challenges due to the brand new virus outbreak, Covid-19 Pandemic, that could never be predicted by the global capital flows. Unquestionably, one of the most affected is the airline industry that had to garage the aircrafts, cease the operations and cancel the scheduled flights due to the restrictions emposed for an uncertain period of time. At this very point, what already ticketed air travellers would welcome is to get the full refund paid for the product the airline company promised, but remained unprovided.

The current situation evolving around the Corona Virus affects daily life in many ways. One of them being the questions of how and if we travel. On the one hand, the confined space of an airplane makes the thought of either having or being exposed to the virus especially discomforting. People only use flights as a mode of travel if they have to. On the other hand, governments trying to slow down the infection rates establish visa bans or ban people from certain regions or with specific travel history. Finally, fewer bookings cause airlines to cancel flights or shrink their overall flight schedules and offers. This article aims at showing the consequences of a flight disruption caused by the Corona Virus in terms of passenger rights, meaning reimbursements for tickets, care like food/drinks and hotel accommodation or compensation.

New regulations in the EU, Canada, and around the world are focusing on passenger rights to protect them from airline mismanagement and flight delays. Find out if you’re eligible for flight compensation and where to get help receiving it.

Since January 2020, the world has seen a sudden and alarming rise in a contagion known as the Wuhan Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). A lockdown on over 10,000 flights to mainland China came into force in the wake of the outbreak, with coronavirus flight cancellations and travel restrictions applied in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease. Like the SARS outbreak before it, the Coronavirus looks set to seriously disrupt travel plans for the foreseeable future.

On December 15th, 2019, the second stage of the new Canadian Airline Passenger Protection Regulation will come into force. This article - the third part of our series - briefly guides through this section of the airlines' obligations and respective rights of passengers. The fourth part compares the Canadian and the European regime under the Regulation (EC) 261/2004. As a reminder, rules regarding denied boarding, tarmac delays and lost or damaged baggage have already been in force since July 15th, 2019. The new set of regulations covers further obligations for canceled and delayed flights. The obligations in these events are similar and vary depending on the reason for the disruption (whether it has been within the carrier's control or not), the length of delay caused and the size of the carrier.

On July 15th, 2019, the first stage of the new Canadian Airline Passenger Protection Regulation has come into force. This article briefly guides trough the airlines' obligations and respective rights of passengers. We decided to explain the rules coming into effect on December 15th, 2019 in the next article. The fourth part will make a brief comparison between the Canadian and the European regime under the Regulation (EC) 261/2004.

UFO striking against Lufthansa, what sounds like SciFi has a serious background and causes a lot of distress for passengers. The natural question to occur is about the rights of passengers in this case : - Entitlement to compensation; - Alternative travel; - Care duties of the airline; - Accommodation. Please make especially sure to read the “Recommendations” section with useful tips for you should you be affected.

There are a number of things that airlines say to avoid paying flight compensation to passengers inconvenienced by their company. In this article we’ll look at several real-world examples where Click2Refund has been awarded proper compensation for flight delays under European Union regulation 261/2004.

The logic is simple, you book your ticket with an airline and that airline is liable for flight disruptions. The legal logic is not quite that simple. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (European Passenger Protection Regulation) uses the concept of the 'operating carrier'. That means the airline that actually undertook to transport the passenger faces the liability and obligations in case of disruptions (delay, cancellation and denied boarding). But those knowing a little about how the airline industry works have also heard of 'wet lease', 'dry' or 'code sharing'.

What happens when you skip a leg on an itinerary - Are you still eligible for compensation if your ticket becomes void due to no-show? Airlines' tariff systems are highly complex and nearly impossible to understand. Sometimes flights get more expensive the closer you get to the actual flight date. Sometimes the opposite is the case. The same applies to the distance flown. In not few cases, a longer (yet more indirect) flight is cheaper than a direct one. Airlines try to ensure that certain connections - mainly from tributary airports to their main hubs - are also profitable and used. They make them attractive with discounts.

Flight disruptions of any kind are everything but pleasant. Insult is added to injury when the replacement flight after cancellation is also delayed. What do you do? Simple, you claim your compensation twice.

The new Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations create a system of protection for passengers during disruptions. They help by standardizing compensations and treatments across the flight travel industry. Time will tell whether they actually are “world class” as branded by the government. The influence of airlines during the legislative and executive process is obvious. It inter alia explains exemptions to compensation rules for passengers. That specifically applies to the category of disruption reasons “within the airline's control but required for safety reasons”. Let's face it, the very majority of mechanical issues in air travel are safety-relevant. And it's clear that a lowering of safety standards is in nobody's interest. But keeping a plane safe is at the core of an airline's business. Therefore, it is unclear why it shouldn't have to compensate for disruption if it failed to conduct the business safely and on time.

Facing financial difficulties for airlines companies is no surprise due to the fierce competition. Since 2017, inter alia, the following airlines have declared bankruptcy Cobalt air, Air Berlin, Primera Air, Germania. We recommend any passenger affected to seek expert advice on topics as compensation or a refund as soon as the news breaks. Legal deadlines for filing claims might apply and the involvement of a bankruptcy complicates the matter.

The grounding of Boeing 737 Max has eventually resulted in the worldwide cancellation of flights and caused distress among passengers and now it is the time for passengers to know their rights. Here is the list of countries who had taken aggressive decisions by grounding Boeing 737 Max.

Long hours delay and cancellation of flights is becoming quite prominent in modern days and claiming compensation from airlines authorities are much of a challenge. The European Regulation EU261/2004, airlines are required to pay up to 600 € to passengers for the delay over 3 hours long as compensation for their inconvenience and time, excluding the price of the flight ticket. But the biggest challenge faced by passengers is circumventing the defense used by airlines which they call “Extraordinary circumstances”, the one is frequently used to avoid compensation. The EU Regulation 261/2004 is a common law which deals with the passenger compensation from the airlines in case of denied boarding, flight cancellation and long delay of flights.

Time limitation period for seeking compensations from the airline authorities have been one of the most debated topics from its very inception. The common question faced by the passengers is the number of years until a passenger can claim compensation in case of any denied boarding of flights, delay or cancellation of flights in the Europe and rest of the parts of the world.