REACTION
While the airline Aigle Azur, in bankruptcy, arouses the grumbling of passengers who will not be compensated, associations are mobilized. Two consumer rights bodies, the European Consumer Center (CEC) France and the National Federation of Transport Users Associations (FNAUT), are in the front line.
They indicated that they want to make the compensation of passengers compulsory in the event of bankruptcy. "We are on a renewal of the European Parliament and the Commission, and the European Passenger Regulation that dates from 2004 should be revised soon, it is the right moment for that", summarizes Elphège Tignel, director of communication France of the European network CEC.
13,000 Aigle Azur passengers still have no solutions
Currently, the buyer of a flight is very unlikely to be reimbursed if the airline goes bankrupt, he personally bought his ticket or through a travel agency. On the other hand, when a package including, in addition to the flight, the rental of a car or the accommodation was purchased from a tour operator, the latter is responsible. Before the flight, he must then repay his client or propose an alternative solution. During the trip, he must reroute the traveler at his expense.
The CEC and the FNAUT announce on Monday that they will contact each MEP to urge them to make it mandatory for airlines to take out insurance, along the lines of the one that must be fulfilled since 2018 by travel agencies, or the matching to a guarantee fund as in Denmark. In October 2018, customers of the Danish company Primera Air bankrupt have been able to obtain a reimbursement of 134.11 euros per seat, said the statement.
The cessation of the activity of Aigle Azur Friday night has put 19,000 passengers in difficulty, of which 13,000 have still not found solutions. Nearly 40,000 tickets for which repayment is not planned had also already been sold for the coming months.