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,

I’m leaving for Brazil in two weeks with my partner and just realized I made a mistake on the flight ticket regarding the middle name. Usually, I never include one, but this time I wanted to add my partner’s middle name—and instead of putting it on his ticket, I put it on mine. So now I have an incorrect middle name (a male one, no less!). Otherwise, the first and last names are correct. Do you think this could cause a problem, given that the middle name is optional? Thanks!

Hi there!

In August, I’m planning a flight with a layover between Las Vegas and Pointe-à-Pitre. Departure from Las Vegas at 11:50 PM – Arrival in Miami at 7:50 AM Layover from 7:50 AM to 9:55 AM Departure from Miami at 9:55 AM, arrival in PTP at 1:10 PM

I’m a bit stressed about the 2h05 layover. What do you think? Is that enough time?

Thanks for your replies! Marc

Hello,

If neither the airline nor the tour operator directly covered the costs of meals and accommodation, the bill can be very high.

You should know that, unless you requested a refund for the cancelled flight, you’re entitled to reimbursement for these expenses while waiting for your rebooking:

- in one case, up to 3 days, - in another case, with no time limit.

Everything is explained in detail here:

https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2021/03/02/remboursement-frais-en-attente-du-vol-retarde-ou-de-reacheminement/

Best regards

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! 🙂

Emirates just put out a statement, and for those of us struggling, it’s total nonsense. No concrete dates because they’re clueless, all dependent on military strikes. Don’t get your hopes up.

Good news for passengers stranded in the Gulf, though. Emirates expects its network to return to normal in the coming days. However, the resumption of commercial flights is still subject to airspace availability and meeting all operational conditions, Emirates said in a statement. The airline added that it transported around 30,000 passengers from Dubai on Thursday. By March 7, Emirates will operate 106 daily return flights to 83 destinations, covering nearly 60% of its network. The Dubai-based national airline was forced to cancel thousands of flights following Iran’s retaliatory strikes, which led the UAE to close its airspace and caused minor structural damage to its Dubai hub.

Hi there, I booked 4 flight tickets with China Eastern. Unfortunately, I swapped the first and last name for one of them. Do you know if I can contact them to get it corrected? Thanks!

Hi there, I need to book a flight from Saigon to Roissy with a layover in Hong Kong. The layover is only 1h10, so I’m wondering what happens if there’s a delay (it’s a very short connection) and I can’t catch the next flight—what are the extra costs involved? I can’t find the info on their website. Could anyone shed some light on this? Thanks in advance

Hey everyone, We bought a ticket a month ago on Trip. It was supposed to be a flight leaving at 2:30 AM to arrive in Kuwait at 4:30 AM to catch a connecting flight with the same airline (Kuwait Airways) at 8:30 AM the same day, arriving in Paris at 12:45 PM. But Trip just informed us that KA "modified" the first flight to depart at 1:20 PM, which means we’ll miss the second leg of the journey. No alternative offered for that portion. After checking, the only solution is to take the flight the next day—so more than 17 hours of layover. We have to go back to work the next day, even though we’d planned a rest day. Trip’s only options are to cancel or accept the change!!! We asked them to propose an alternative flight, but their response was to contact the airline. We did, and their answer? Wait a bit longer for the final schedule!!! From my research, this counts as a cancellation or at least a delay of over 3 hours, so the airline is obligated to find us an alternative flight and compensate us. Has anyone had this experience with this airline or another? Any advice? Thanks in advance

It's really simple and without any reservation—I wouldn’t recommend Kenya Airways. I travel about three times a year and have been doing so for 23 years, and I’ve never said that about an airline before. Sure, they serve food all the time, but it’s not even good. The planes themselves are fine. As for the rest, here are the issues: Just to be clear, everything that happened to me also happened to everyone I spoke with on various Kenya Airways flights. 1. Booked 12 flights with decent schedules. In the end, nearly all of them were changed, resulting in sleepless nights, arrivals in the middle of the night, or arrivals 24 hours later than originally planned. 2. Luggage arrived 24 hours late. 3. Flights canceled and delayed mid-trip. So, hours spent in transit zones. They’re very nice and try to fix the problems, but you end up wasting so much time struggling. For example, getting to the hotel they provide can be a huge hassle, and it often isn’t even valid in the end. You might even risk missing your flight.

Hi, I’m looking for a solution for my flight—I’ll explain my situation.

I live in the French overseas territories, so I have a flight from St. Martin to Orly. Early September is cyclone season. If there’s an alert or cyclone, my flight could be postponed.

I’m considering connecting with a flight from CDG to Bangkok. I’d have to buy my second flight as open-ended, otherwise I’d lose it—it’s not the same airline. I found a good price on Oman Air, Economy Comfort option. Change fees are only 20 OMR—basically nothing. Then there’s the option for a paid upgrade: would that mean the price gets adjusted on the day of the flight?

If I’ve made myself clear, do you have any other solutions? Please—thanks!

Hi there, we're planning a trip to La Paz, Mexico at the end of December for a family of four. Which airline should we take? Where should we fly from? Are there any "layover countries" that are cheaper than others? Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Hi, I booked a ticket on January 2nd for a round trip from Lyon to Amman from August 13th to 27th. I received an email on March 27th informing me that my departure and arrival airport would no longer be Lyon but Paris. I contacted them to say I refused this change, since it’s 400 km between the two airports. They replied that I could cancel my flight with cancellation fees of 130 € and a non-refundable tax of 29.82 €. Or I could change the dates and still face a 130 € penalty. I find this unbelievable—the airport change isn’t my fault, but theirs. They told me Royal Jordanian no longer flies out of Lyon. What should I do?

It’s been over 10 years since I last went to Madagascar. Back then, I flew Corsair from Paris. I’m planning to go back in September 2025. I’ve heard about Air Austral... Air France: the issue is the flight arrives in the evening at Ivato. What do you recommend? Which airlines fly from Paris to Tana? Thanks for the help!

Hi,

I swapped my first and last name when I made my reservation. I’d like to know if this could cause any issues for boarding or not? I have a layover in Istanbul on my way to Dubai.

Could you please point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance

Supposedly modification insurance = big scam, let me explain:Hello,

I’ve been an Edreams customer for decades, spending tens of thousands of euros with them. For this latest trip, we knew our departure date but weren’t sure about the exact return date. So, we booked tickets supposedly "Modifiable sans frais" (fee-free modifiable).

We left on September 3rd, and a week before the initially booked return date, we finalized our schedule. I went to my booking to make the change. And then... I found out that if you’ve already taken your outbound flight, you can no longer modify the return flight!!!!!!!

Like most people, I didn’t read the long, complicated, and tedious fine print in the terms and conditions—which I later took the time to go through. Here’s an excerpt: "Flexible Name Guarantee Our Superflex fare includes a Flexible Name Guarantee that allows customers to change the full name of one of the passengers on their flight tickets. This contractual guarantee takes effect at the time of booking and expires 24 hours before the start of the trip, determined by the date and time of departure of the first flight included in the booking."

In short, I paid an extra 500 € for this insurance (for 4 tickets) that’s absolutely useless.

In my opinion, when I book a modifiable ticket, it’s PRECISELY BECAUSE I KNEW I’D NEED TO CHANGE MY DATE ONCE I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION.

But I learned that this insurance stops 24 hours before departure.

So, if you’re thinking of changing your return dates after you’ve already taken your outbound flight, well, this insurance won’t work—and they make sure not to clearly explain that to you.

So, dear EDREAMS, thank you for being my booking portal for 15 years. I’ve traveled all over the world (74 countries visited—who can top that?), spent a fortune on your site, and I’m saying "Adios". On top of that, I’ll take care of your online reputation since it’s my job (digital marketing).

Hasta la vista

Hi, I made a flight reservation on Booking, but my reservation hasn't been confirmed and is still pending confirmation by the airline. It's been almost a full day now, and I haven't heard anything—I'm waiting for I don't even know what response... Will my reservation be canceled? In the meantime, I can't book another flight in case I end up paying twice... Has this ever happened to anyone? What should I do?

Hi, I’m planning a trip to Australia—Paris to Melbourne. I’m flying with Etihad and have a 1-hour connection in Abu Dhabi. Does that seem doable to you? Thanks for your feedback and experiences!

Hi everyone,

I have a Ryanair flight scheduled for 10/14 (outbound, returning on the 16th) from Charleroi in Belgium. A strike is confirmed, and the airport will be closed on the 14th. But Ryanair is still saying the flight is confirmed. I get that they’re trying to make us change and pay extra fees rather than wait for the free compensation.

If I make a new booking, can I still claim a refund for the first one?

Thanks in advance for your help—this is the first time I’ve faced this situation.

Hi, I’m traveling to New Zealand in January 2026 with Lufthansa. To check the allowed baggage dimensions, I went to my "booking" account on the Lufthansa website. And that’s when I discovered that my last layover, the Zurich-Bordeaux flight operated by Swiffairlines, was canceled. I never received an email, and even worse, it’s not even noted on my booking. So I contacted Lufthansa. They told me that for now, there are no other flights but that there will be by the time I leave. They advised me to call them every week to get a flight. What do you think of their response? Has this ever happened to you? Emilie

Hi, I often see people here claiming that if a flight is canceled due to weather, the passenger isn’t entitled to any compensation. However, the airline is only exempt from compensating the passenger if—and **only if**—they offer re-routing “as soon as possible.” Here’s what happened: A single booking with Swiss International Air Lines (a Lufthansa subsidiary) for Paris - Zurich operated by Swiss, then Zurich - Puerto Plata operated by Edelweiss Air (another subsidiary). After arriving in Zurich, the airport was closed for a few hours due to weather, and all flights were canceled. So far, nothing unusual. But Swiss International Airlines really outdid themselves:

Meals and hotel (plus transport to and from): “Figure it out yourselves, but we’ll reimburse you.” No re-routing offered at the time of cancellation (which is **mandatory** at the **same time**), nor in the following days, even though possible re-routing options existed. Worse: After 2 days with no information from the airline, the passenger showed up at the airport to demand immediate re-routing (3 hours later) on a flight operated by the same airline that had canceled the original flight, even though the final destination was 6 hours by road from the originally planned airport (Punta Cana instead of Puerto Plata). The airline refused because there was only space left in business class—and thus, the passenger had to pay!!! It’s completely absurd!!! The passenger declined, so the airline refused the re-routing! No other re-routing options were offered. The next day, the passenger returned, and this time, they were offered—**for the following day**—the exact same re-routing that had been refused the day before (Zurich - Punta Cana)! The passenger accepted. Arrival at a destination 6 hours by road from the final airport. Complete silence from the airline about the transfer. The passenger had to figure it out alone! In the end, arrival at the final destination with a 5-day delay. When the passenger claimed reimbursement for their expenses (nearly 600 €) the day after arrival, it took a month and a half to get the money back.

Swiss didn’t even bother responding to the registered letter requesting compensation. The passenger only received two replies from the parent company (Lufthansa), responding on behalf of its subsidiary, stating that the request should be addressed to its other subsidiary.

The passenger turned to the justice conciliator (a mandatory step before taking the case to court). The airline went silent and didn’t respond to the conciliator, who then issued a report of failure to cooperate. The passenger took the case to the local court in Aulnay-sous-Bois and sent Swiss their “submissions.” The airline remained silent until less than 48 hours before the hearing. Then, over the phone, the airline’s lawyer verbally agreed to pay the 600 € owed but proposed a reduced settlement for the rest. The passenger refused. Then, 24 hours before the hearing, the passenger received Swiss’s “submissions,” confirming the previous day’s verbal proposals.

Finally, the hearing took place, and the judgment was received: 600 € in compensation, as provided by Articles 5 and 7 of EU Regulation 261/2004 + 500 € under Article 12 of the same regulation (additional compensation, given how badly Swiss handled things) + 200 € for legal costs (registered letters, preparing the particularly large case file). All the details of this case (correspondence, justice conciliator, passenger’s submissions, the airline’s submissions, the arguments presented in court, and the judgment) are available here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/reacheminement-catastrophique-droit-indemnisation-meme-circonstances-extraordinaires-2/ In summary: -Just because a flight is canceled due to weather doesn’t mean the airline is automatically exempt from compensating the passenger. -In such cases, immediately look for possible re-routing options yourself (same airline or not), stop just before payment, and take screenshots. -Don’t always blindly believe what the airline tells you. -Don’t give up: the process is simple and free. But you must follow the templates provided on my website https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com without deviating from them. Best regards,

Hi there,

We're planning to visit Yellowstone between mid and late September (yes, I'm leaving it to the last minute for bookings...). I was initially planning to arrive and depart from Salt Lake City, which I’d also like to explore. It turns out that flights to SLC are 300 € more expensive than flights to Jackson Hole, even though the connection goes through... SLC! I’ve checked on several comparison sites from different locations, and these prices remain pretty consistent.

Does anyone know what it would cost if I skip the connection to Jackson Hole from SLC to take advantage of the cheaper fare and then fly back from JH instead?

Thanks in advance!

Sylvain.

Hi, I need your help because I’m stuck. I booked 6 flight tickets to Palermo on August 6th through the Lastminute site. The flight is operated by Air France, and I just realized my name is wrong. I immediately contacted Air France, who told me it’s up to Lastminute to make the change, but they say it’s Air France’s responsibility. I’m really anxious because I’m traveling with my two kids. Can you help me? Thanks

Hi there,

Hi, I just bought a flight ticket on eDreams. My account was debited, but I haven’t received the tickets. I checked my spam folder, but no luck. Could you provide me with a contact number or a link to their site so I can file a complaint? Alternatively, if anyone has a solution, I’d be interested in getting a refund. I contacted my bank, but since the amount has already been debited, what can they do? Thanks in advance!

On February 19, 2025, we traveled on Cathay Pacific flight CX702, which was supposed to take us from Bangkok to Paris Charles de Gaulle, with a transfer via their Hong Kong hub.

The departure from Bangkok was scheduled for 7:15 PM, with an arrival in Hong Kong at 11:05 PM local time.

The layover was supposed to last 1 hour and 10 minutes, and we were due to take off for Paris on flight CX261 at 12:15 AM, with a scheduled arrival at CDG at 7:35 AM local time.

From Bangkok, flight CX702 took off over an hour late. The scraps of information provided didn’t give us any real idea of the reason for the delay or whether we’d make our connection in Hong Kong on flight CX261.

Then, on the plane, the CX702 crew couldn’t tell us anything about the connection or confirm that our luggage would be transferred to Paris (we were pretty worried, as our bags contained research materials and results).

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we were immediately told—without any explanation—that we wouldn’t be taking flight CX261!

The staff then rushed us through the airport corridors, past Chinese police checks, after handing us two non-regulation flight tickets for CX289 to Frankfurt instead of Paris.

These tickets were scribbled in ballpoint pen, with a departure time that had already passed and no gate information.

The plane took off on February 20, 2025, well after the scheduled 12:15 AM departure. We landed in Frankfurt around 7:00 AM local time.

From there, after going through additional security checks and completely exhausted from the journey, we had to walk through Frankfurt Airport’s endless corridors—only to find out we’d been dropped off at the opposite end from the gate for flights to CDG.

Not to mention, when we reached gate A01, we were told we had to backtrack to gate A24. And as if that wasn’t enough after 15 hours of travel, the gate changed again without any announcement or email.

You’d think Cathay Pacific’s management would know how long these walks are...

In the end, we arrived at Paris CDG at 1:30 PM—six hours later than scheduled, with an extra layover in Frankfurt.

Discussion: Cathay Pacific informed us via email on February 19—while we were already in the air—that our connection had been canceled for "commercial and operational reasons."

Yet, the plane for flight CX289 was full of passengers, so there was no reason the original flight CX261 couldn’t have been delayed. We concluded we were victims of overbooking—without being told!

Especially since the rerouting to Frankfurt seemed well-rehearsed...

Regarding the overbooking, our tickets were flexible, and we paid an extra 220 € for that.

We should *never* have been overbooked!!!

I also want to let other travelers know that Cathay Pacific initially told us via email that our delayed arrival in Paris would be at 10:30 AM instead of 7:35 AM.

We immediately arranged for colleagues in Paris to pick us up at that time.

Except the arrival time was changed *again* to 1:30 PM. And by then, we couldn’t get home before the evening of February 21, with all the extra costs that entailed.

Back in Frankfurt, we were stuck waiting from 7:00 AM to 12:15 PM on some of the most uncomfortable seats, with no refreshments, snacks, or assistance—right in the middle of the constant flow of travelers heading for short- and medium-haul flights. The least they could’ve done was let us into the international lounge, which would’ve been far more suitable for exhausted, freezing travelers. Right?

On this point, European law states that if an airline fails in its obligations, passengers can claim full compensation for material and moral damages without a cap. Moral damages can also be compensated (CJEU, October 13, 2011, case C-83/10).

And whether Cathay Pacific’s management likes it or not, commercial or technical issues causing flight cancellations or delays *do not* count as "extraordinary circumstances" that would exempt the airline from liability (CJEU ruling, November 19, 2009).

Most importantly, due to the over 6-hour delay and the distance between the departure airport and CDG, we should have been compensated at least 600 € per passenger under European law (Article 7 of Regulation (EC) 261/2004).

But that’s not possible because Cathay Pacific refuses to comply with European legislation guaranteeing compensation for travelers affected by such delays.

To bypass passenger rights, Cathay Pacific evades responsibility by claiming that, as a Chinese company headquartered in Hong Kong, it isn’t bound by European laws.

Yet that doesn’t stop them from enjoying commercial advantages by operating a French subsidiary for passenger transport, registered in the trade register and based in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

So it *is* subject to European law!!!

Air travelers are thus victims of Cathay Pacific’s strategies to circumvent European law...

In our case, we had to endure the cancellation of our access to flight CX261, an imposed layover in Frankfurt, no minimal assistance during the 5-hour wait in Germany, a delay of over 6 hours upon arrival, and the costs of an extra day to get home.

And as if that weren’t enough, we also suffered moral and financial damages due to the airline’s blatant disregard for its customers!

The fact is, Cathay Pacific and its executives subjected us to these damages because of an overbooking policy hidden from customers. We weren’t informed of our rights, the reasons for the delay or rerouting, or given any assistance during the imposed layover. We weren’t even refunded the extra we paid for flexible tickets—what was the point of that when overbooking was clearly planned?

And on top of it all, they excluded us from European law, which would’ve allowed us to be compensated 600 € each for the delay—totaling 1,200 €.

We wrote three times by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt to Cathay Pacific’s Group CEO, the France Regional Director, and the head of the French-registered subsidiary.

No response—except an email refusing to comply with European legislation!

Given this policy of circumventing European law and passenger protections, Cathay Pacific’s online and in-agency flight offers *must* clearly inform customers that in case of delays, cancellations, or rerouting, they won’t be compensated by the Chinese airline!!!

Hi there, We're planning a trip to the Philippines but would love to spend 10 to 15 days in Vietnam to see what we missed due to bad weather a few years ago. Every simulation I've tried has turned out to be way too expensive... I know that for a departure around February 2026, it might be a bit early, but if anyone has a great tip.....? Thanks in advance

Hi there, we’re looking at a flight from Montreal to Zurich, then Zurich to Brussels (final destination). There are two couples and two kids in our group, and the layover is listed as 50 minutes. I wanted to check if this is doable before booking...

Hi, I know this topic has already been discussed, but in a rush, I booked a flight ticket with my married name (on my passport it’s noted as "married name X"). I’m flying with Oman Air, but since I booked through Expedia, they refuse to change it to my maiden name. Can I still travel? I’m really panicking!

Hi Voyage Forum members,

My wife and I took American Airlines flight no. 63 on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 9:30 AM, with a scheduled arrival in Miami at 1:30 PM local time.

After about half an hour of flight, a young passenger had a medical emergency. They were given care, and a flight attendant went to get an oxygen bottle. Then, an announcement over the loudspeakers informed passengers that the plane was diverting to London.

Once at London Heathrow (LHR), we were waiting to depart again. But a new announcement asked us to disembark because the plane wouldn’t be able to take off until the next day. (American responded to my follow-up, saying they’re required to limit their staff’s working hours to a certain number per day.)

A crowd of travelers gathered at the American Airlines counter, where they were told to follow instructions to get to a hotel. Meanwhile, I called the airline’s customer service to find a replacement flight that same day, since I couldn’t afford to leave the next day. If I had, I would’ve lost my hotel and car rental reservations due to late cancellation, which would’ve cost me a significant amount.

After discussing in English with customer service and the counter staff (who I handed my phone to), we managed to get two seats on British Airways flight BA 0209, which was leaving about 2 hours later.

That’s how, after a stressful wait unsure if we’d get our luggage back, and once we did, we hurried—heavily loaded—to reach the far-off terminal for our new boarding on foot and by train shuttle.

We finally took off for Miami and landed around 7:30 PM, which was 6 hours later than the originally scheduled arrival time of American Airlines flight 63.

On top of the stress, there were the costs of meals in the meantime, and I had to notify the hotel and car rental company about our delay.

As a result, I requested compensation for a flight delay of at least 3 hours (and I’ve involved my insurance’s legal protection to pursue this claim). American Airlines argued that exceptional circumstances prevented them from compensating me.

What do you think? Is my request unreasonable?

Good evening. I hope you're all doing well. Sorry in advance—my message will be a bit long, and sorry for any spelling mistakes.

So, here's the thing: I booked a flight ticket through an intermediary to go to Réunion from November 29th to December 16th. This evening, I was checking the dates and times of my flight, and—WHAT A NASTY SURPRISE!!

My outbound ticket is correct—no issues, the day and time match perfectly. But there’s NO flight at the time listed on my return ticket!!! I thought it must be a glitch. I refreshed the page several times, cleared my history, and even searched on other sites and in private browsing.

But it’s still the same—no flight on December 16th leaves at the time shown on my ticket. I went back to the intermediary’s site, then checked the airline’s website, and I had the idea to try December 15th for the departure—and BINGO! The return flight time, the airline, the type of plane—everything matches.

I realized then that the site that sold me the ticket made a mistake on the return date. I don’t know what to do because I can’t get anyone on the phone.

Since the error is on their end, are they obligated to change my flight to December 15th, or do I have to pay for a new ticket?

If I ask them to put me on another flight on the 16th, will I have to pay fees or not?

I’m completely lost and pretty upset, so if you have any answers to my questions, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!