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Bonjour,

Depuis qu’il est en vigueur, le règlement 261/2004 du Parlement Européen et du Conseil, qui définit les droits des passagers aériens, fait l’objet d’une résistance acharnée des compagnies aériennes, appuyées par IATA (l’association regroupant la presque totalité des compagnies aériennes de transport de passagers).

Outre la résistance des compagnies aériennes aux droits des passagers, souvent abusive, et même fréquemment, empreinte de mauvaise foi, IATA, depuis des années, effectue un lobbying constant auprès des instances de l’Union Européenne, avec, depuis bien longtemps, une oreille très attentive du Conseil.

Il s’en suit que le Conseil et la Commission, depuis bien des années, proposent au Parlement Européen, depuis des années, une révision du règlement 261/2004 particulièrement défavorable aux passagers. La dernière tentative correspondait à la quasi suppression du droit à indemnisation en cas de retard de 3 heures ou plus lors de l’arrivée à destination finale.

Mais s’agissant d’un règlement du Parlement Européen ET du Conseil, ces deux entités devaient se mettre d’accord.

Mais, le Parlement européen a toujours tenu bon, en répondant, inlassablement, que le droit des passagers devait être préservé.

Après 11 ans de lutte, il semble probable que nous arrivions, enfin, à la fin du match entre la commission européenne, le conseil (les 27 chefs d’états ou de gouvernement), et le parlement européen.

En effet, la Commission et le Parlement européen se sont mis d’accord sur un texte qui sera encore débattu lundi 6 juillet 2026, un vote devant avoir lieu le 7 juillet 2026. Il est très probable que ce texte, qui rentrerait en vigueur dans un an, soit adopté.

Les principales modifications seraient les suivantes : - les familles avec enfant(s) ne seront plus obligées de payer pour être assis ensembles dans les avions ; - un vol sera considéré comme annulé (et pas seulement retardé) dès lors qu’il partira avec plus d’une heure de retard ; - droit à indemnisation pour arrivée à destination finale si retard excédant 3 heures (et non plus si « 3 heures OU plus »). L’heure d’arrivée sera l’heure à laquelle l’avion, parvenu à son stationnement, enclenche ses freins de stationnement (et non plus l’heure d’ouverture de la porte de l’avion) ; - les compagnies ne peuvent plus, au vol retour, ni refuser l’embarquement, ni réclamer un supplément, à un passager qui n’a pas pris le vol aller ; - si vol annulé la compagnie aérienne doit, simultanément à l’information relative à cet évènement, donner le choix entre le remboursement et le réacheminement, et informer le passager de ses droits à assistance et, s’il y a lieu, à indemnisation - la compagnie doit, sans retard injustifié, informer les passagers du motif ; - en cas de vol à correspondance, si correspondance manquée, et si retard à destination finale ouvrant droit à indemnisation, celle-ci sera à la charge du transporteur aérien responsable de l’irrégularité. C’est très différent de la situation actuelle puisqu’en vertu de l’ordonnance KLM, tout transporteur aérien opérant un des segments de vol est redevable de l’indemnité. Voilà qui promet encore des litiges que la Cour de Justice de l’Union Européenne devra trancher si deux compagnies aériennes distinctes opérant, chacune un segment de vol d’un vol à correspondance, sont toutes deux responsables du retard. Voir pour exemple ce cas : https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2026/04/18/swiss-international-air-lines-la-mauvaise-foi/ Par ailleurs, ce cas démontre, par avance, un autre nouveau sujet de litige : Il sera possible d’affirmer qu’il ne s’agissait pas d’une correspondance manquée puisqu’elle a été annulée avant même le départ du premier vol… - Dans les 96 heures d’un vol pouvant ouvrir droit à indemnisation, la compagnie aérienne devra prendre contact avec les passagers pour les informer de leurs droits et indiquer la marche à suivre. - Le passager devra réclamer son droit à indemnisation dans les 9 mois. Ceci est très différent de la situation actuelle, puisque le règlement 261/2004 ne fixe aucun délai de forclusion. Actuellement, c’est donc le droit national qui s’applique. En France, ce délai est de 5 ans. La compagnie devra répondre dans les 30 jours. Si la compagnie refuse l’indemnisation en invoquant des « circonstances extraordinaires, elle devra indiquer à quel type de cas elle se réfère suivant la liste des cas figurant en annexe du nouveau règlement. Si le cas invoqué ne figure pas sur la liste en annexe, elle devra indiquer de quel évènement il s’agit, et en quoi il s’agit de circonstances extraordinaires au moyen d’explications « claires, substantielles, et concises » et pourquoi c’est en lien DIRECT avec le motif invoqué, et, aussi, déclarer quelles ont été les « mesures raisonnables » prises pour tenter d’y obvier. Il s’agit là, bien sûr, d’un changement gigantesque de la réglementation, l’objectif manifeste étant d’empêcher les compagnies aériennes de déclarer tout et n’importe quoi comme étant des « circonstances extraordinaires » exonératoires de l’obligation d’indemniser. - Si dans les 3 heures d’un vol annulé, ou retardé, en dernière minute, la compagnie aérienne n’a pas proposé un réacheminement, dans la limite du possible, dans des conditions de transport comparables et dans les meilleurs délais, que ce soit avec un de ses propres vols ou au moyen d’un vol d’une autre compagnie, le passager aura le droit d’organiser son réacheminement lui-même et d’exiger le remboursement du nouveau billet dans la limite de 400 % du prix de son billet. Voilà une amélioration importante qui aurait fait que le cas rapporté là https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/reacheminement-catastrophique-droit-indemnisation-meme-circonstances-extraordinaires-2/ n’aurait, probablement, pas existé. -Si un vol a été annulé pour « circonstances extraordinaires », la compagnie ne sera plus tenue qu’à offrir pas plus de 3 nuits d’hôtel. Il s’agit là d’un gros changement, car, actuellement, il n’y a pas de limite. Il faut prévoir des litiges à venir dans l’hypothèse où les circonstances extraordinaires ont pris fin alors que le passager n’a pas été réacheminé. - le prix d’un vol, tel qu’affiché en premier, doit, obligatoirement, inclure un bagage cabine. Ceci n’empêche pas la compagnie aérienne de proposer une réduction de prix si le passager renonce à un bagage cabine. Voilà qui mettra fin à des pratique anormales, notamment (ce n’est qu’un exemple) Condor qui sur ses vols transatlantiques Francfort (Allemagne) – Puerto Plata (République Dominicaine) – Saint Domingue (République Domincaine) – Francfort, fait payer en supplément le bagage cabine sur un tel vol long courrier. - correction gratuite d’une erreur sur le nom du passager si demandé 48 heures avant. Attention, il ne peut pas s’agir de remplacer un passager par un autre, mais juste d’une correction, par exemple Dupont au lieu de Dpont -les sites Internet et les applications des compagnies doivent comprendre les informations sur la marche à suivre pour formuler une réclamation.

Il est clair qu’en dépit de quelques détails, ces changements sont très positifs pour le respect des droits des passagers. Il reste à voir si ce texte sera, comme c’est très probable, définitivement adopté le 7 juillet 2026, et surtout, si IATA encouragera les compagnies aériennes à respecter loyalement ces nouvelles règles, ou persistera dans ses anciennes habitudes.

Cordialement

Hi, Air Cairo offers good prices on domestic flights and schedules that work for us, but is this airline reliable? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Hi there,

I’m planning a trip to Georgia this summer and I’ve been comparing some airlines. I’m not particularly set on flying with Pegasus (though it’s convenient with direct flights from Lyon to Tbilisi), but right off the bat, Pegasus states this:

As of January 1, 2026, all foreign nationals traveling to Georgia for tourism purposes will be required to present valid travel health insurance. Guests who fail to provide the relevant health insurance will not be accepted on our flights to Georgia. Sincerely, Pegasus Airlines

In other words, if you don’t show proof of travel health insurance, you’ll be denied boarding. Personally, my credit card insurance has always been enough for me, and I’d rather not take out extra coverage... Have any of you run into this issue before? If not, what do you think? Why is Pegasus asking for this proof? Other airlines don’t mention it at all.

The latest EU regulations for air travel.

https://www.midilibre.fr/2026/06/17/bagages-cabine-reclamations-simplifiees-voyage-en-famille-voici-ce-qui-pourrait-bientot-changer-lors-de-vos-prochains-vols-13424186.php

Hi,

I bought my flight ticket with my first (usual) first name, which appears first on my passport. However, I have two first names on my passport, and of course, it’s mentioned in the machine-readable zone at the bottom.

I booked with Turkish Airlines (through an online agency) for a trip to South Korea.

I wanted to know if it would be a problem that I only used my first first name on the ticket, while my passport has two. I had requested through the agency to add the second first name, but the airline refused because it doesn’t meet their general conditions. (They must have seen that the last name and first name were the same, and only the second first name was added.)

So, my ticket has my last name and first first name correctly spelled, and when I check in online, I’ll enter the passport details correctly.

I’ll have a layover in Istanbul on the flight.

Thanks in advance for your replies. Have a great day.

Hi there, I traveled in June 2025 with Nouvelair Destinations to Hammamet. I had one checked bag and one carry-on sized 40x24x30, which I usually take on low-cost flights, and I didn’t have any issues. But I just read on a website that Nouvel Air only accepts carry-ons of 40x20x15. I’m flying back to Djerba in June—what do you think? Especially since that size is impossible to find??????? Thanks

Hi, it's my first time taking a plane and I chose EasyJet for a Geneva -> Barcelona flight. I booked my ticket. I received my booking reference by email, but I don’t see the actual ticket (barcode or QR code?). Then I checked in to get the boarding pass with the flight details, QR code, etc. But does this boarding pass act as the ticket? Because I’ve seen several times online that the flight ticket and the boarding pass aren’t the same thing.

Thanks in advance!

Hi there,

We're leaving for Albania on June 18th. When I validated the flight tickets with Wizz Air on Booking, I only put my son's first name but forgot to include his other three first names on the ticket. On the passport: SURNAME: Dupont, FIRST NAMES: toto titi tutu tata On the flight ticket: SURNAME: Dupont, FIRST NAME: toto I can't seem to reach anyone at Wizz Air to get an answer. Booking and Wizz Air's chat say I need to modify it, but ChatGPT says it should be fine. I wanted to know if he can fly like this or if I need to change his ticket? (It costs 140 €, I know I shouldn't have made a mistake🙁)

Thanks for your feedback.

Hi,

A pretty serious issue has come up in the past few weeks for traveling to Tanzania.

What’s the deal with airlines in Tanzania? https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/ce-pays-est-tres-touristique-mais-ses-compagnies-aeriennes-sont-placees-sur-liste-noire-par-l-europe-1515325 https://www.charentelibre.fr/tourisme/la-tanzanie-sur-liste-noire-de-l-europe-des-vols-interieurs-a-haut-risque-pour-100-000-touristes-francais-25002566.php

Basically, all airlines have been blacklisted because they don’t meet European safety standards. They’re banned from flying in Europe but continue operating in Tanzania. The main issue is that travel agencies’ civil liability no longer applies to blacklisted airlines. So we can’t allow clients to fly with these carriers. Of course, there’s huge pressure from European agencies, which are forced to disrupt their plans or even cancel trips because of this. Personally, I’ve got a trip planned for February 2026 to the southern parks in Tanzania, so I’ll be keeping an eye on how this develops. Do any of you have updates? Thanks!

Loïc

Hi,

Right now, with the war raging in Iran and affecting all the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf, many airports are completely closed to all traffic.

Several airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates, and others have almost completely halted their operations.

Whether in the Middle East or Africa, many travelers are stranded—maybe for a long time... A heartfelt thought for them and the struggles this will cause.

Four months ago, I was in Kenya with a flight booked through Qatar Airways... I can’t even imagine how I’d react if I were stuck there now. ??

Wishing all these travelers courage, patience, and success in making it back home.

...

Doha Airport on October 21, 2025:



...

Hello, some (potentially) good news for Brazil lovers—GOL airline is launching a route to Europe from Rio, starting in September for Lisbon, then Paris at a later date that hasn’t been announced yet. They’ll be using their new A330-900 neo. No prices have been announced so far, but hopefully we’ll find direct flights from GIG at a more interesting fare than AF or Latam…

Hello,

I’m really surprised because in TUI’s new tour packages, the airlines they’re using are of low quality. Before, they used to prioritize major airlines, but now it’s small airlines from small countries—companies with terrible ratings and borderline safety concerns. I even just noticed this note for a Tanzania trip: "We inform you that the domestic flight segment in Tanzania included in your trip is operated by an airline listed on the European Union’s list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the European Union. This ban only applies to European Union airspace, meaning this airline is not permitted to take off, land, or fly over European airspace. However, this airline is authorized to operate in Tanzania."

This means they’re using airlines on the blacklist!! It’s pretty worrying for safety. What do you all think?

Hello,

We’re planning a cruise to the UAE/QATAR/OMAN starting from DUBAI, with flights departing from Paris CDG. Which airlines would you recommend for round-trip flights, with or without a layover? We need assistance for check-in and boarding/disembarking (my husband is a mobility-impaired traveler who uses a cane and/or a walker). We’ve done a cruise return from Dubai to Paris CDG before in 2016, with a layover in Istanbul, but we booked the transfer and return flight with COSTA. For our current plan, it would be with Celestyal, which doesn’t offer round-trip flights from Paris to Dubai. Should we book very far in advance, or is a few months before departure enough (4/6 months)? We’re thinking of arriving the day before the ship departs, so we’d need to stay overnight in Dubai—either on the way there or for the return flight, depending on the flight schedules. Could you recommend a hotel not too far from the airport, and how to get to the port from the airport?

Thanks so much for your advice. Have a great Sunday! Mum49

Hi, It's all in the title—this means nothing's getting through, so no more oil. In Europe, kerosene reserves are still good, but by the end of April, flights will have to be reduced. European airports fear running out of kerosene if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened within three weeks

Bluff or not? Stay tuned....

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out to ask for your help with a bit of a problem:

I booked a flight to Berlin from Orly for April 15th—it’s coming up fast. But I just made an annoying discovery: my passport expired two weeks ago.

From what I understand, in principle, I can still travel within the Schengen Zone with an expired passport as long as it’s been less than five years. However, EasyJet’s website explicitly requires a valid ID (and just to add to the fun, my national ID card has been expired for a while now).

So, I’d love to know: how strict are EasyJet’s ID checks? Do they enforce validity rules strictly and refuse boarding if the ID isn’t valid? Or is it more of a luck-of-the-draw situation?

Basically, should I just write off this trip now, or should I still try my luck—maybe with a little tearful plea? Has anyone here had a similar experience? I can’t be the only one, right!

Hi there! Has anyone taken the direct flight from CDG to Las Vegas with Air France? Looking forward to your feedback!

Hey everyone,

I booked a flight with RyanAir for next month, with the priority+ option and two cabin bags. So I can take a 10 kg bag with dimensions 55x40x20 in the cabin (plus another smaller one). The problem is that the smallest suitcase I have (which is supposed to be designed specifically for cabin size standards, according to the manual) has the following dimensions: 55x37x21, so it's just 1 cm over (wheels included) on one of the measurements.

I wasn’t too worried at first, but I’ve read dozens of stories about people’s misadventures and the hassles they’ve had with RyanAir.

Since I don’t want my suitcase to end up in the hold (that would waste time picking it up when I’m already arriving late and need to get to the city center), nor do I want to pay an extra fee (apparently 50 €) for the outbound and return flights for just 1 centimeter—especially since I paid for the "priority+" option and I’m not exactly rolling in money—I’d love some advice.

Have any of you been in the same situation? I’ve read that with this airline, they check bags in templates (testing them in different positions) and are completely uncompromising. I tried contacting customer service, who, as luck would have it, "don’t handle this kind of request," and a rep I spoke to wasn’t much help.

I know it’s a low-cost airline, and I don’t expect luxury or even kindness, but come on—just 1 cm on a short flight with the + option... I’m a bit overwhelmed by everything I’ve read...

Just to clarify, since I’m going for 8 days, I can’t just take one bag for my stuff. I’ve done that for shorter trips before, and it was a hassle—I even had to buy an extra bag for the return trip... Luckily, the inspector was nice about it!

Thanks so much! I’m a newbie when it comes to air travel :) Hope I posted this in the right section!

Hi there,

When I run searches on Skyscanner, I see that only Lufthansa has flights to Seoul with just one stop. Air France doesn’t show up, even though I thought the French airline served Seoul? I can’t even log into the Air France website—it keeps glitching.

Hi there, I’d like to return to Uzbekistan next April for 10 days with my husband to visit our son who lives there. We went last July and I bought the flight tickets (direct flight from Paris on Uzbekistan Airways) about 2 months in advance at very reasonable prices. I’ve been checking for late April for a few weeks now, and the tickets are much more expensive and keep rising. I can’t figure out if the prices are going up because it’s still a bit too early to buy and they’ll likely drop if the planes aren’t full, or if it’s because the period is actually in high demand. For reference, last year I bought my son’s ticket on May 30th for a departure on June 3rd—just 3 days later—at a very low price that didn’t budge at all. Just in case, does anyone know the pricing trends for this airline and can advise me? Should I wait or not? Thanks, and feel free to ask if you need any tips about the country!

My wife bought a flight ticket (Lucky Air) under her Thai maiden name and was issued a Chinese visa on her new Thai passport but with her French married name (due to administrative requirements). She was denied boarding by the airline in Bangkok for the flight to Kunming—resulting in the loss of our round-trip flight tickets, including mine since we were traveling together—despite presenting both passports at the airline counter at the same time.

Hi there. I’m planning a trip to Chile, and the fares from the Colombian airline Avianca are really appealing. Way cheaper than Air France, for example. That said, the reviews I’ve seen online aren’t great. What do you think of this airline? Have any of you taken long-haul flights with Avianca? Thanks in advance for your replies. Eric

Hi there,

This might be a silly question, but I’m traveling to Japan from CDG and returning via Osaka with EVA Air, and I have a pretty bulky aluminum knee brace. It’s this model: https://enovis-medtech.eu/fr_FR/OA-FullForce-74358.html

Has anyone had any experience with airport security checks or flying with one of these?

Thanks in advance! Best regards,

Hi there,

I can't seem to find flights between the Cape Verde islands on the airline's website. No matter the date or route, I always get the same response: "no flights on this date." See the photo. Would anyone have an explanation? Surely not all flights are fully booked in July?

Best, Thierry

Hi there, I have a question... Has anyone managed to get a refund from Oman Air?

After a delayed flight, we missed our connecting flight to get home!! At midnight, the flight attendant booked us on a flight to Nice via Munich, even though we were in Munich and wanted to get back to Nice... Too tired from the trip, we didn’t notice the mistake!! The next day, of course, the booking wasn’t valid!! We had to pay again for the flight back to Nice... I’m really struggling!! I think they’re giving me the runaround!! I’ve sent several emails, tried Messenger and WhatsApp, but the only responses I get are: "We need to investigate!! We’ll get back to you in 15 days!!" It’s been over a month!!

I just sent a registered letter (LRAR) to their office at Paris Charles de Gaulle, which is still open!!

Do you have any other suggestions for me?

Thanks in advance for your help! Virginie

Hi! Sri Lanka has announced it could run out of fuel in the coming weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked. The government has implemented a mandatory four-day workweek to save oil, and there are long lines at gas stations due to fears of an early shortage. In Vietnam, the government has warned all airlines that flights will need to be reduced due to a lack of kerosene. The country imports two-thirds of its jet fuel from China and Thailand, but both countries have now banned exports out of fear of domestic shortages. The state is asking airlines to plan ahead and park aircraft to drastically reduce operations, starting with domestic flights and then international ones. International carriers will also need to cut back on their rotations. This will begin in the coming days. 🙁

Hi there, I’ve got a long layover (about 10 hours) in Seoul on an upcoming trip. I arrive from Phnom Penh at 7:20 AM and depart for Montreal at 6:00 PM.

First question: Will my checked baggage be transferred automatically? I have a single ticket from KTI to YUL (Air Canada ticket—KTI-ICN operated by Asiana (codeshare) and ICN-YUL by Air Canada).

Second question: I saw it’s possible to join free guided tours (Airport Transit Tour). What do you think of this kind of service? And is my "actual" layover time (accounting for security checks, check-in, etc.) enough to do one of these tours?

Thanks in advance to everyone who chimes in on this!

Hi everyone, I'm heading to Namibia next May. I'm planning to take a first flight from Paris to Johannesburg with Air France, departing at 11:20 PM and arriving at 11:05 AM in Johannesburg. Then a second flight from Johannesburg to Windhoek at 3:25 PM with South African Airways. Four hours between the two flights seems enough to catch my connection, but a friend told me I should maybe take the 5:30 PM flight instead because I need to go through immigration, collect my luggage, and check in again. Apparently, I have to do this because I bought the two tickets separately (it's actually much cheaper). What do you think? Also, in terms of South African airlines, which one do you think is the most reliable between South African Airways and Airlink? Thanks for your advice!!

So, even before starting my explanation, I’d like to introduce myself since this is my first post on the forum :) I’m Jérôme, a huge Asia enthusiast, and I’m currently in the process of moving to Japan with my family in 2028.

Now, onto the topic :)

We’re a family of four traveling together to Seoul, with two separate bookings.

Our original itinerary was: Madrid → Doha → Seoul (March 23–24)

The issue is that our entire outbound flight was canceled, and the airline simply rescheduled the Madrid → Doha leg. Now we’re left with an incomplete journey, with no solution to reach our final destination (Seoul).

Since then:

- Can’t modify flights online (technical error every time) - Can’t get help via chat or WhatsApp - Phone support is unreachable, and the usual French number isn’t working right now

We don’t want a refund. We just want to be rerouted to Seoul, as our original ticket promised.

We’re flexible:

- On dates (we can leave on March 21 or 22 instead of the 23rd) - On the itinerary (different layovers if needed)

Have any of you dealt with this before? Do you know how to unlock a booking in this case or get a rerouting? We’re considering going straight to the airport to resolve it at the Qatar Airways counter....

Thanks so much for your help! 😊

Hi, We just received an email from Volotea saying our flight time has changed (by more than 2 hours). The email states "you can request a free date change." If I change the date, will the flight price stay the same as the original price, or will I have to pay the difference? Specifically: Our flight on the 7th is 46.25 €, and the one on the 8th is 92.51 €. If we switch to the 8th, how much will we pay? When I request the date change to the 8th, it says "No additional fees." Thanks and have a great day! 🙂

Hi everyone, We’re going on a Nile cruise. My question: We’re taking off from Brussels Airport to land in Cairo. Then we have to catch a second flight to Luxor. How does that work—do we pick up our luggage, do we have to exit and then re-enter the airport? Thanks for your help, tips, and advice, etc.…