I never thought I’d end up in the "travel horror stories" section of the forum. But here we are—it happened Sunday, June 12th, in the evening at Gatwick. Tons of flights were cancelled, including ours (EasyJet LGW-GVA at 5:05 PM), right before boarding, due to cracks on the runway (?!?).
After 3 hours of "vague promises" (around 10 PM), my girlfriend and I went back through immigration, picked up our luggage, and started the endless queue to get rebooked and accommodated. Estimated wait: a 100-meter line and 4-5 hours with no guarantee of a result.
Then we got a text from EasyJet offering to let us find our own hotel room and promising a refund. Since it smelled fishy (all EasyJet flights the next day were full), we booked a room at the Ibis and reserved a BA flight from LCY on Monday, June 13th.
Question: what are we entitled to?
1) Refund for the 2 tickets + luggage for LGW-GVA? I think that’s a given.
2) Refund for LCY-GVA? I don’t think so, since we rebooked ourselves.
3) Refund for the night at the Ibis? Since they told us to handle it ourselves and promised a refund via text.
4) Anything else?
Thanks in advance for your replies. I need to prepare the refund request.
Indeed, since you booked a replacement flight yourself, I don’t think you’ll get a refund—but there’s no harm in asking in your letter. Just attach copies of all your receipts (hotel, meals, anything you can find).
From what I can see, you qualify for 250 € compensation per person (check the EasyJet page). I can’t say whether they’ll claim "extraordinary circumstances" to avoid paying.
Hello,
Your explanations are clear; mine will probably be less so, and I apologize for that.
Since EasyJet is a European airline, your travel contract is subject to EU Regulation 261/2004, which I encourage you to read—particularly Articles 5, 6, and 7:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32004R0261.
Keep in mind that all airlines have always fiercely opposed this regulation and will do everything possible to avoid fulfilling their obligations under it (see all the posts on this topic).
So don’t expect to receive a check in response to your first letter.
You might, however, get a marketing letter praising the company’s merits and the efforts of its teams. That said, if you proceed calmly, methodically, without emotion, with patience and persistence… you *will* get your refund.
Your Gatwick-Geneva flight was canceled.
1- The airline must display passenger rights for delays and cancellations "legibly" at the check-in counter.
2- They must assist you and cover, at their expense: hotel, meals, transfers, and communication.
3- They must re-route you to your destination as quickly as possible, using any means they deem appropriate. This isn’t just sending an SMS—it’s a real, physical commitment.
Since they didn’t do this, I suggest you keep their SMS, print it out, and demand reimbursement for all expenses (damages) you incurred on-site. On this point, there shouldn’t be too many issues.
However, it doesn’t seem like you waited for their re-routing proposals and instead decided, without consulting them, to buy new tickets on BA for London City to Geneva the next day.
In your letter, try to claim reimbursement for these. Justify it by the fact that EasyJet didn’t offer re-routing, even though it was possible—and you managed it yourself. They’ll argue that you left the airport without waiting for their proposals. You’ll need to respond with a threat of legal action. If they were able to contact you by SMS to tell you to find your own hotel, they could’ve done the same to propose re-routing.
4- They owe you 250 € per passenger for this flight. This compensation is in addition to reimbursement for expenses and damages. Unless "extraordinary circumstances" apply. Are "cracks on the runway" an extraordinary circumstance? I don’t know. But rest assured, EasyJet is convinced they are. Did these cracks even exist? Do they prevent planes from taking off? Is there only one runway at LGW? Did other aircraft take off at the same time? It’s up to them to prove it, and for the courts to assess.
I suggest you claim this compensation (in the same letter, sent via registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt) and suggest that if EasyJet plans to invoke extraordinary circumstances, they provide proof. Otherwise, you’ll take legal action.
A word of caution: I handle these kinds of disputes, but I’m not a legal expert.
Best regards,
Si tous les gens qui disent du mal de moi savaient ce que je pense d'eux, ils en diraient bien davantage...
Sure enough, we rerouted ourselves without waiting in the ~4-hour queue. So I’ll be asking for a refund on the BA return, arguing that they couldn’t process a rerouting within a reasonable timeframe.
As for the 250 € we can claim "outside of exceptional events," I’ll argue that the two following EasyJet flights to Geneva did take off (apparently there’s a "backup" runway at Gatwick?!?). So the cancellation of this flight seems strategic too. Was the plane supposed to return and be available the next morning at Gatwick???
For the hotel, I’m attaching a copy of the text message telling us to sort it out ourselves.
And obviously, I’m asking for a refund on the EasyJet ticket.
I’m copying my legal protection provider so they’re aware, in case I need to use them. It’ll depend on EasyJet’s response.
I’ll keep you posted. But I get that this is going to take a while.
If it's about the damaged runway and it's truly damaged, I don’t think you’ll get compensation under the European regulation since it’s not the airline’s fault.
At best, you might get a refund for the hotel room—unless EasyJet uses the excuse that you didn’t travel with them the next day.
Yeah, the 250 € is gonna be tough. But I’ll give it a shot, saying other flights took off from an alternate runway.
For the rest, given the text, the queue, and the stories from other people we saw again the next day on the BA flight after sleeping at LGW, they weren’t able to rebook and accommodate everyone.
We’ll see what we get 😏
It was a rough experience but manageable for us. When I think about families, elderly folks, or people who are really tight on budget and have no choice but to wait for hours just to be told there’s no solution and they have to sleep at the airport—that’s when it gets really tough.
A few more comments:
- Beyond displaying passenger rights in case of delay or cancellation, European airlines (or non-EU airlines departing from European territory) must offer delay bulletins to all passengers. Given their reluctance to assist and compensate customers, the European legislator insisted on the term offer, rather than provide to those who request it. Since travelers are often unaware of their rights, the compensation amounts end up boosting the airline’s "provisions" line in their income statement.
- If they can do more, they can do less—you’re not wrong to ask for a refund for your two return flights to GVA (the canceled EasyJet flight + the completed BA flight). However, if this carrier had an obligation to fulfill its contract to the end, that meant getting you back to GVA. Due to their failures, you had to pay for two returns. It’s reasonable for them to reimburse you for ONE. In my opinion, a court wouldn’t order reimbursement for two returns (?)
- On https://www.flightradar24.com/airport/lgw/departures, I found several departures matching your canceled flight. It seems the "exceptional circumstance" related to runway conditions doesn’t hold up.
D82856 / Norwegian 12/06/2016 London LGW Stockholm ARN Scheduled 17:30 Departed 18:55
U28611 / EasyJet 12/06/2016 London LGW Malaga ARN Scheduled 17:05 Departed 19:35
U25257 / EasyJet 12/06/2016 London LGW Rome FCO Scheduled 17:05 Departed 18:24
- The damage related to hotel expenses is tied to this canceled flight. It seems unrelated to your decision regarding the replacement flight (see a previous comment).
- In your letter, it’s best to stick to the facts. Emotions or human factors won’t sway an airline’s legal department or influence a judge’s decision. They’re neither quantifiable nor measurable. However, a court will carefully examine all legal grounds you present: EU regulations, case law, European Court rulings. The "Sturgeon" ruling on flight delays is a great example.
When drafting such a letter, keep in mind it may become part of a legal file. It should be factual, polite, clear, well-structured, easy to read, and memorable. It must be provable. Your requests should be clearly stated and indisputable.
In short: describe the damage, prove it, quantify it, then demand reimbursement.
Best regards,
Si tous les gens qui disent du mal de moi savaient ce que je pense d'eux, ils en diraient bien davantage...
I completely agree, except on the point about the runway. Many flights were canceled or delayed due to the condition of the runway and the decision to operate flights from the taxiway.
For the delays, some planes couldn’t take off because of the closure of destination airports like GVA, so this wasn’t the airline’s fault.
What’s more, easyJet was ready to pay for a hotel room and transport passengers to GVA.
That said, there’s no harm in asking for refunds—just don’t expect compensation under European regulations.
Hmm, about the trail, we'll see. Let's just say there was still time to reach GVA. I get the feeling they needed the plane the next day at Gatwick and it was better to cancel this flight (and others) to avoid jeopardizing the next day's flights.
They did want to accommodate and rebook us. But they weren't able to.
I understand that legally, it doesn't make sense to get refunds for both the canceled EasyJet flight and the BA flight. Logically, it should be the price difference between the two that gets refunded.
Anyway, we'll see what we get. We're gonna fight to get the max.
The issue with the runway is real. Even now, flights are being cancelled or delayed.
After that, I couldn’t say whether easyJet needed that plane at LGW or not.
The capacity around LGW hasn’t met all the needs, that’s for sure.
But hey, if you don’t ask, you don’t get—so go for it.
Try to keep us updated on your progress and the (hopefully happy) outcome.
The appreciation of these "runway cracks" in exceptional circumstances (or not) is what sets us apart.
There’s debate, and it’s always enriching.
EasyJet’s interest will be to cling (tooth and nail) to this regulatory exclusion.
From experience, I’ve seen that courts examine very carefully the arguments and evidence operators can provide when they try to use it.
They always keep in mind the need to curb abuses, and judges are well aware of airlines’ practices.
In the case we’re discussing, we have proof that several planes took off at the same times as the canceled flight. A delayed departure at 6:30 PM instead of 5:05 PM was possible and would have allowed arrival at GVA before its closure.
Several rulings, corollaries of Regulation 261/2004 established by the Court of Justice of the European Union, clearly state the truly exceptional nature that the circumstance must have. They also urge national courts to remain extremely vigilant on this point.
That evening, there was indeed a runway incident, since many flights were delayed. But it wasn’t exceptional since they took off, including two EasyJet flights.
It wasn’t insurmountable, since they overcame it.
We should dig into the rotation of EasyJet aircraft scheduled to depart from Gatwick:
Where was the aircraft involved in the cancellation supposed to go the next morning?
Imagine that on the evening of 06/12, it was supposed to return from GVA to XXX (half-empty and at a low price), then operate a rotation on the morning of 06/13 from XXX (overbooked and at full fare).
Its late arrival in Geneva would have prevented this (compensation +++ for a full flight the next day), and they would have had to accommodate the crew on-site (+ hourly costs and disrupted schedules).
It’s also possible that the two other EasyJet flights chosen to take off (Malaga and Rome) were scheduled to spend the night at their destination.
What would we have done in their place?
The same thing...
Then, we would have applied the usual low-cost strategy: avoiding unnecessary announcements like distributing delay notices, handling our assistance obligation minimally, and finally letting a few complainers claim their compensation. And then: good luck to them getting it, because that’s the part we know how to handle in our best interest...
Best regards,
Si tous les gens qui disent du mal de moi savaient ce que je pense d'eux, ils en diraient bien davantage...
I don’t quite agree that the issue was something EasyJet could have overcome.
I imagine that putting the backup runway into service took time (which explains part of the delay for the other EasyJet flights mentioned above). Plus, that backup runway may have a lower capacity than the main one. And since Gatwick is a busy airport with few (if any) night flights allowed after 11 PM, airport authorities might have decided to cancel some flights that evening (but not all).
So, this was a rare, unpredictable event that EasyJet couldn’t fully overcome—an extraordinary circumstance.
Hello Derviche,
You might be right,
Maybe I’m not wrong either...
Your arguments make sense, and I hear you, but it would all depend on a judge’s interpretation of an exceptional circumstance.
Regulation EC 261/2004 doesn’t define it. That’s why the CJEU (Court of Justice of the European Union) has clarified it much further in its various rulings. Many legal experts have already questioned it on this matter. The issue arises every time an airline tries to use it to justify a delay or cancellation, much like "force majeure" in the Montreal Convention.
Example of a recognized exceptional circumstance: the Icelandic volcano eruption a few years ago. We’re far from that!
These runway cracks weren’t caused by a sudden and unforeseeable earthquake at Gatwick, but by a lack of maintenance on the part of the airport operator.
So, it would be a technical incident—certainly not the airline’s responsibility, but rather one of its subcontractors.
That didn’t stop them from letting some of their planes take off and not others, likely based on their economic interests.
In my view, a technical incident has never been recognized as an exceptional circumstance, since, by definition, it’s possible to identify those responsible.
Following this reasoning, I suspect a court would refuse to penalize the consumer by denying them compensation.
Moreover, it would make sense for the customer to take action against the airline rather than the airport, since they contracted with the airline.
Legal action *could* (or *should*?) lead to the airline being ordered to pay compensation, as they failed to meet their contractual transport obligations. It would then be up to them to seek recourse from the negligent airport operator.
For example: Airbus is currently announcing delays of several months in delivering some of its aircraft, due to seat supplier (Zodiac) failures.
It’s not their fault... but their subcontractor’s...
Do you think client airlines consider this an exceptional circumstance because a supplier’s subcontractor failed?
Of course not. Airbus is responsible for fulfilling its sales contracts and will have to pay compensation to its clients, then seek recourse from Zodiac.
However, since I’m not a legal expert, I can’t say my arguments are set in stone.
Best regards,
Si tous les gens qui disent du mal de moi savaient ce que je pense d'eux, ils en diraient bien davantage...
Initially, no response from EasyJet to our registered letter. So, we activated our legal protection, which finally received a reply at the end of September. EasyJet is trying to dispute the exceptional circumstances to avoid refunding the 2 x 250 € (we’ll try to contest this by arguing that the following flights to Geneva did take off with delays—gotta try). They say they’ll only refund the replacement flight or the cancelled EasyJet flight (logical—we’ll obviously choose to be refunded for the first one). They’re still asking for a few more documents. In short, they’re dragging their feet with a touch of bad faith. Like asking why we returned from City instead of Gatwick and what class we used. Pure luck because it was the cheapest flight! Though we *shouldn’t* have held back and taken the most expensive flight from Gatwick the next day...
Anyway, we sent the documents for the hotel, meals, roaming charges to make the new bookings, the Gatwick–City transport, and the return BA flight.
A little over 6 months later, here we are. With the help of our legal protection, we managed to get compensation—maybe not full, but fair. As a goodwill gesture (?), EasyJet gave us the runaround, refusing to refund the substitute BA flight we’d booked, claiming the class wasn’t mentioned on the invoice and we didn’t have boarding passes. After checking, Euro Traveller class *was* listed, and we found the boarding passes. In the end, we got reimbursed for roaming, travel to the hotel and into the city, the hotel itself, meals, and the BA flight. All in all, we came out of it pretty well—both handling things on the ground ourselves and pushing for the refund. But I can’t imagine the hassle for an elderly person or someone who wouldn’t have had the means to sort things out during the incident.
Hi,
As the saying goes, "all's well that ends well"—well, more or less!
Just out of curiosity, what legal protection did you use? Visa Premier card, mediator, private lawyer?
Could always come in handy as info 😏
"Homme libre, toujours tu chériras la mer" (Baudelaire)
J’avais un vol au départ d’Adelaïde (Australie) pour Dubaï le 25 juillet 2016, (correspondance à Dubaï avec comme destination finale Paris). Le vol a été…
Mon épouse et moi sommes allés en Grèce depuis Brest au mois d'avril. Nous avions tous deux des billets-prime pour Province-CDG et CDG Athènes, aller retour.…
Je devais partir à NewYork, mais suite à des problèmes techniques le vol a été annulé (après 5 heures passées dans l'avion cloué au sol...). On part demain…
Air asia m informe 2jours avant le départ que le vol pour lequel j'avais une réservation est annulé et reporté au lendemain...ce qui évidemment ne m'arrange…
Je reste dans le thème ' tarte à la crême' du moment et je sais que ma question n'est pas d'une importance capitale... Cependant, la voici: nous avions réservé…
Bonjour,
Je pense partir bientôt pour la Malaisie
J'ai vu des prix interessant et vol direct de Paris avec Malaysia Airlines
Est ce une compagnie fiable?
Merci pour vos retours
J'effectue régulièrement des voyages depuis plus de vingt ans
maís c'est la première fois qu'un compagnies me traite si mal que Air France.
Deux voyages, deux fois des problèmes. Le dernier:
Voyage de Séoul à Rennes. Dernière partie de París CDG à Rennes par Air France.
J'arrive à Paris et je me rends directement chez Air France pour obtenir la carte d'embarquement jusqu'à Rennes. On n'y assure que mon bagage suit jusqu'à Rennes.
Arrivé à Rennes, pas de bagage, comme c'est le cas de 5 personnes.
Le bureau d'Air France est fermé et le oersonnel de l'aéroport m'assure qu''il y a rarement quelqu'un.
Avec l'aide du personnel de l'aéroport, je fais une réclamation par internet et Mon bagage est quadi directement localisé, en conséquence je l'aurai le lendemain.
4 jours plus tard, le bagage est toujours au même endroitvà CDG, rien ne bouge.
Le problème est qu'Air France m'a pas de service clientèle. Ce qu'ils appellent service clientes, c'est un service qui répond après une heure et qui vous répète ce qu''il y a sur le FORMULAIRE informatique. Aucune coordination, aucune moyen de faire bouger les choses, je suppose que Air France préfère me payer l'indemnisation après 21 jours que se bouger le cul.
J'ai déjà eu des bagages égarés dans d'autres voyages maís c'est la première fois que je vous un tel je-m'en-foutisme foutisme et manque de professionalisme..
Hi there,
We had planned a trip to Sicily in August, and due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Etna, my flight was canceled. The airline is refunding the outbound flight, but none of the non-refundable expenses: accommodation booked through Booking, rental car, and the return flight aren’t covered. My SUPER Gold card doesn’t work in this specific case! :( If anyone has been in this situation, could you let me know if you were able to get any recourse and, if so, how?
Thanks in advance
Back in February, I booked a flight with Air France-KLM from Lyon to San Diego with a layover in Amsterdam (flights operated by KLM). The flight is scheduled for late August.
My Lyon→Amsterdam flight was canceled by KLM in June, and a replacement flight the evening before was booked for me. So, I’ll end up spending the night at Amsterdam Airport to catch my flight to San Diego the next morning.
Since the cancellation happened more than 14 days before departure, I know I’m not entitled to financial compensation (EU Regulation 261/2004). But am I entitled to reimbursement for a hotel night in Amsterdam?
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,
I booked an Etihad ticket on their website for Dusseldorf-Abu Dhabi. In the first name field, I entered all my first names (something I never do and I regret it, but the site was confusing). Everything is spelled correctly, but the problem is that I just received my new passport and only my first two first names and the first letter of the third appear—there’s no trace of the last one.
I called Etihad, and of course, they tried to charge me $100 USD to remove that last first name. But I’m hesitant because usually, I only put my first first name and not the others, and I’ve never had an issue... So I’m wondering if having that extra first name, which isn’t on my passport, could get me denied at check-in.
Thanks for your feedback!
Hi everyone,
Next January, I’m heading to India.
My outbound flight is with Emirates from Paris to Dubai, then another Emirates flight from Dubai to Calcutta.
Could anyone tell me how the connection works? I’ve heard there’s a dedicated Emirates zone, but how does it actually work in practice—I’ve got a 2-hour layover.
Thanks so much!
Take care.
I’d like to fly to Malta from Lyon.
I’ve read a lot of negative reviews about KM MALTA, especially regarding baggage fees at the airport.
Of course, I don’t want to book through third parties (like SkyScanner, Opodo…).
AIR FRANCE offers tickets to MALTA in partnership, if I understood correctly.
On AIR FRANCE, the tickets include everything (checked baggage, cabin bag, small personal item, seat), whereas with KM MALTA, everything is extra and the final price is almost double!
In this case, is AIR FRANCE considered the same as sites like Opodo or others?
Given the price difference, I’m hesitant…
Have any of you booked with AIR FRANCE for this destination? How did it go?
Thanks,
HERVE
Hi everyone, I’ve unfortunately only just noticed that I booked two flight tickets, but I made a mistake on the second first name. Basically, my computer auto-filled and typed my first name twice, so both tickets are in my first name. Only the last names—mine and my friend’s—are correct.
TAP Portugal refuses to make the change because they consider it a change of passenger, even though it’s clearly a typo (plus, my last name isn’t common).
I’m leaving in 5 days, and buying a new ticket would cost 3 times the original price. Has anyone been in this situation before? I’d like to try negotiating at the airport, but it’s a gamble… Thanks in advance for any advice!
Since it came into force, Regulation 261/2004 of the European Parliament and Council, which defines air passenger rights, has faced fierce resistance from airlines, backed by IATA (the association representing almost all passenger airlines).
Beyond the airlines' often abusive—and even frequently bad-faith—resistance to passenger rights, IATA has been lobbying EU institutions for years, with the Council paying close attention for a long time.
As a result, the Council and the Commission have been proposing revisions to Regulation 261/2004 for years that are particularly unfavorable to passengers. The latest attempt nearly eliminated the right to compensation for delays of 3 hours or more upon arrival at the final destination.
However, since this is a regulation of both the European Parliament AND the Council, the two bodies had to agree.
But the European Parliament has always stood firm, consistently responding that passenger rights must be preserved.
After 11 years of struggle, it seems likely that we’re finally nearing the end of the match between the European Commission, the Council (the 27 heads of state or government), and the European Parliament.
Indeed, the Commission and the European Parliament have agreed on a text that will be debated again on Monday, July 6, 2026, with a vote scheduled for July 7, 2026. It’s very likely that this text, which would come into force in a year, will be adopted.
The main changes would be as follows:
- Families with children will no longer be forced to pay to sit together on planes;
- A flight will be considered canceled (not just delayed) if it departs more than one hour late;
- Right to compensation for arrival at the final destination if the delay exceeds 3 hours (no longer "3 hours OR more"). The arrival time will be when the plane, having reached its parking spot, engages its parking brakes (no longer when the aircraft door opens);
- Airlines can no longer refuse boarding or charge extra on the return flight for a passenger who didn’t take the outbound flight;
- If a flight is canceled, the airline must, at the same time as informing passengers of the event, offer the choice between a refund and re-routing, and inform them of their rights to assistance and, if applicable, compensation;
- The airline must, without undue delay, inform passengers of the reason;
- In the case of a connecting flight, if the connection is missed and the delay at the final destination entitles the passenger to compensation, the responsible airline will be liable. This is very different from the current situation, where, under the KLM ruling, any airline operating a segment of the flight is liable for compensation. This promises more disputes that the Court of Justice of the European Union will have to resolve if two separate airlines operating segments of a connecting flight are both responsible for the delay. See this case for an example: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2026/04/18/swiss-international-air-lines-la-mauvaise-foi/
Moreover, this case demonstrates in advance another potential dispute: It could be argued that it wasn’t a missed connection since the flight was canceled before the first leg even departed.
- Within 96 hours of a flight that could entitle passengers to compensation, the airline must contact them to inform them of their rights and explain the next steps.
- Passengers must claim their right to compensation within 9 months. This is very different from the current situation, as Regulation 261/2004 sets no time limit. Currently, national law applies—in France, the limit is 5 years. The airline must respond within 30 days. If the airline refuses compensation on the grounds of "extraordinary circumstances," it must specify which type of case it refers to from the list in the annex of the new regulation. If the case isn’t on the list, the airline must explain what the event was, why it qualifies as extraordinary circumstances with "clear, substantial, and concise" explanations, and why it’s directly linked to the reason given. It must also declare what "reasonable measures" were taken to mitigate the issue. This is, of course, a huge change in the regulation, with the clear goal of preventing airlines from declaring just anything as "extraordinary circumstances" to avoid compensation.
- If, within 3 hours of a last-minute canceled or delayed flight, the airline hasn’t offered re-routing under comparable transport conditions and as soon as possible—whether on one of its own flights or another airline’s—the passenger will have the right to arrange their own re-routing and demand a refund for the new ticket, up to 400% of the original ticket price. This is a significant improvement that would have likely prevented the case described here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/reacheminement-catastrophique-droit-indemnisation-meme-circonstances-extraordinaires-2/
- If a flight is canceled due to "extraordinary circumstances," the airline will only be required to offer up to 3 nights in a hotel. This is a major change, as there’s currently no limit. Expect disputes if the extraordinary circumstances end while the passenger hasn’t been re-routed.
- The price of a flight, as first displayed, must obligatorily include a cabin bag. This doesn’t prevent the airline from offering a price reduction if the passenger waives the cabin bag. This will put an end to abnormal practices, such as (just one example) Condor charging extra for a cabin bag on long-haul flights like Frankfurt (Germany)–Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic)–Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)–Frankfurt.
- Free correction of a passenger’s name if requested 48 hours before departure. Note: This can’t be used to replace one passenger with another—just to correct a typo, e.g., Dupont instead of Dpont.
- Airlines’ websites and apps must include information on how to file a claim.
It’s clear that, despite a few details, these changes are very positive for upholding passenger rights. It remains to be seen whether this text will be definitively adopted on July 7, 2026, as is very likely, and, more importantly, whether IATA will encourage airlines to loyally respect these new rules or persist in their old habits.
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.
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.
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🙁)
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!
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.
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…
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?
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
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!
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!
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
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?
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?
