Tying climate pledges to € 26 billion airline bailout, according to European Greens | Airline industry
Airlines are seeking € 26bn (£ 22.7bn) in state aid to deal with economic fallout from coronavirus, say environmental activists, who accuse governments of failing to associate binding weather conditions to negotiations.
Quick guide
Coronavirus-related travel stoppage: what are your rights?
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My flight to Europe is canceled. All I’m offered is an alternative flight or vouchers. Is it legal?
No. But that hasn’t stopped a number of airlines from doing just that. All flights of EU carriers within or to the EU, and all flights departing from an EU airport, are protected by EU ‘denial of’ rules. boarding ‘, which require a full refund within seven days when flights are canceled.
The problem for consumers is that enforcing these rights is proving very difficult. After initially promising to reimburse passengers within 20 working days, Ryanair has now said passengers should accept vouchers valid for 12 months, or wait until the end of the Covid-19 pandemic for a refund.
Refunds at British Airways are only processed by customer service which, of course, is impossible to contact. easyJet initially only offered refunds through customer services, but now has a web portal to request refunds.
Note: EU cancellation rules do not apply to non-EU carriers whose flight started outside the EU – for example, a Korean Air flight from Seoul to London.
Faced with a no-refund policy, what should I do?
Accepting the offer of replacement vouchers in the current climate is very risky as the airline might not be there in six months. While some will be happy to accept the vouchers, many will not.
Coby Benson of Flight Compensation Lawyers, Bott and Co, advises passengers to submit their claim for reimbursement in writing, using the following text:
I understand that my flight [fight number] at [flight date] has been canceled and I am therefore requesting a full refund in accordance with Articles 5 (1) (a) and 8 (1) (a) of EC Regulation No. 261/2004. You are reminded that the refund must be made within seven days. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not accept travel vouchers.
If the airline does not respond or agree, the passenger can either initiate legal proceedings or use Alternative dispute resolution.
If your flight cost more than £ 100 and was booked with a credit card, you can hold the card provider jointly and severally liable. When things calm down, we suspect that many passengers will be forced to follow this route.
My flight worked as expected but I was unable to continue. Then what ?
The fact that the government has advised against all but essential travel means that travel insurance policies would have to pay for overseas trip cancellation claims provided you purchased your policy before the pandemic was declared on March 11. .
Miles brignall
Air France, which has secured € 7 billion in loans and loan guarantees from the French government, and Lufthansa, which are currently negotiating a € 9 billion bailout with Berlin, topped the rankings of the airline rescue tracker compiled by Carbon Market Watch, Greenpeace and Transport & Environment.
European governments have officially accepted € 11.5 billion in financial aid for airlines, including a £ 600 million loan from the British Treasury and the Bank of England for EasyJet. An additional € 14.6bn is under discussion, including £ 500 million, Richard Branson asks the British government to help Virgin Atlantic.
The industry is grappling with a massive drop in demand: Air travel has stalled, with no end in sight, due to travel restrictions linked to the pandemic.
Some governments are seeking to attach conditions to bailouts. The French Minister for the Ecological Transition, Élisabeth Borne, insisted that Air France was not receiving “a blank check”. The government has made “green commitments,” she said, including a 50% reduction in carbon emissions on domestic flights by 2024, as well as an investment in more fuel-efficient planes.
Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz announced that his government would not help Lufthansa’s Austrian Airways operation without getting something in return, such as finding jobs in his country; while the vice-chancellor, Werner Kogler, said he would “assume” that a rescue would only occur with green conditions.