Airlines must return the amount of the flight canceled by coronavirus - La Provincia

The European Commission has warned this Wednesday that the pandemic of coronavirus why several Member States have prohibited the movement of their citizens is a circumstance "extraordinary"that exempts airlines from compensating their passengers, although they must reimburse them for the ticket or relocate them on alternative routes.

This is how he explains it Brussels in the guide that has been published to clarify the rights of the users of the different modes of transport in the European Union and that, in the case of air passengers, it includes additional compensation in the event that your flight is canceled less than two weeks before the expected date of departure.

"If passengers suffer the cancellation of their tripFor example, they can choose between reimbursing the ticket price or being relocated to reach their final destination later, "says the Community Executive in its information.

However, it nuances the community institution, "the current circumstances are extraordinary, therefore, some rights, such as compensation, cannot be invoked. "

However, Brussels warns that the objective of the guidelines it publishes is to provide legal clarity to the interpretation of European transport legislation, so they do not affect the special measures that national authorities may have adopted in the context of the crisis caused by the virus Covid-19.

In addition, remember that the EU rules on transport provide for measures in case of cancellation or delay of routes but there are no rules that apply to cases where they are passengers who cannot fly or want to cancel their trips on their own initiative.

Therefore, an airline decides to reimburse or not the cost of the ticket to a passenger who has decided to suspend their trip or who has not been able to fly for restrictions linked to the coronavirus crisis, having operated the flight, will depend solely on the conditions of purchase of your flight.