Summer is approaching amidst a thousand uncertainties for airlines. In case of cancellations due to lack of fuel, passengers will have the right to a “refund”. Here’s everything you need to know.
While the Middle Eastern crisis and the closure of Hormuz continue to keep the pressure on the global economy high, in Europe the alarm has now been raised for the jet fuelkerosene used as fuel by airplanes, the shortage of which could cause massive flight cancellations and put your holidays at risk.
In fact, the countries of the European Union imported approximately 30-40% of their jet fuel needs right from the Middle East. Imports which, however, have now completely disappeared due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The commissioner’s words
Some clarifications regarding the jet fuel situation arrived yesterday from the European Transport Commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostaswhich also expressed important clarifications for millions of travelers who could see their flights canceled as summer approaches.
However, the Commissioner wanted to reiterate that «Europe is ready to welcome all the tourists who will come this summer», and that for the moment «the market manages the pressure» on jet fuel supplies «and there are no indications of actual deficiencies».
At the moment, according to Tzitzikostas the flights canceled by the companies «have nothing to do with the alleged lack of fuel», but to the fact that «since the beginning of the crisis, jet fuel prices have more than doubled», making some of those routes no longer profitable.
«Who will come to us will be able to count on guarantees in the event of cancellations or significant delays», reported the commissioner, with carriers obliged to provide assistance to unfortunate passengers.
However, if the flight were canceled before departure due to actual fuel shortages, it would fall into the category of “exceptional circumstances”, warned Tzitzikostas.
If so, travelers would only be entitled to a refund of the ticket price paidand not even the financial compensation provided for by EU rules.
The difference between “refund” and “compensation”
In the framework of EU rules, in fact, there is a clear distinction between “compensation” And “reimbursement”, with the two terms identifying distinct and non-overlapping rights.
The refund consists of the full refund of the ticket price within seven daysand is guaranteed in all cases of cancellation, regardless of the cause.
The compensationInstead, it is an additional cash compensation, between 250 and 600 euros per person depending on the distance of the flight, which is triggered only when the cancellation is attributable to the carrier and the passenger has not been notified at least 14 days before departure.
Airlines are not required to pay financial compensation in cases where the cancellation is caused by “exceptional circumstances”. which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
The structural shortage of jet fuel resulting from a geopolitical crisis would therefore fall precisely into this case: the reimbursement of the ticket remains guaranteed, but the right to compensation lapses.
Other passenger rights
In any case, it is good to remember that regardless of the origin of the cancellation, passengers retain a series of concrete protections.
In the event of a canceled flight or denied boarding, the traveler has the right to assistance at the airport: meals and drinks adapted to the wait, hotel accommodation if necessary, transfer between the airport and the hotel, as well as two free communications by telephone, fax or e-mail.
It is always added to these the possibility to choose between ticket refund and redirection towards the final destination in the first available conditions.
Refund, assistance and compensation are rights that apply independently of each other: the passenger can therefore request more than one at the same time, depending on the circumstances.
In the end, anyone who is relocated to a lower class than the one purchased is entitled to a partial refund of the ticket pricein a variable percentage based on the distance of the flight.
