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For example: — In 2017, several enforcement authorities took action in response to mass flight cancellations by an airline as a result of crew and air traffic strikes. The airline was found to act in a misleading manner when informing the passengers of the cancellations by not providing complete and adequate information on the consumers’ rights to compensation pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. The airline was requested by several authorities to inform consumers of the relevant rights arising from the cancellation and the procedures to be followed (409). — In 2020, the Commission provided additional guidelines on EU passenger rights as well as a Recommendation on vouchers in response to massive cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic (410). In case of cancellations by the airline, the transport provider must reimburse or re-route the passengers. Reimbursement in the form of a voucher is subject to the agreement by the passenger. If passengers themselves decide to cancel their journeys, reimbursement of the ticket (in cash or in the form of a voucher) is not regulated by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and therefore depends on the terms and conditions of the air carrier (411). — In 2021, a consumer authority fined three airlines EUR 8,4 million in total due to breaches of the UCPD in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airlines were found to breach the professional diligence rules when continuing to cancel flights for reasons of health emergency in periods when travel restrictions were lifted, proceeding to issue vouchers rather than offering passengers reimbursement for their tickets. The authority also found that the airlines provided misleading information and omissions, including through the use of procedures that encouraged or forced consumers to choose vouchers over reimbursement in money. Some of the airlines fined were found to also impose additional obstacles on voucher holders, such as requiring them to call a telephone number to redeem their vouchers (412). — The CPC network of consumer authorities launched a coordinated survey of a number of airlines in 2021 in respect of their flight cancellation and reimbursement practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying problematic industry-wide practices. In particular, the CPC network found that reimbursement was often presented to consumers less prominently than vouchers and airlines were not proactively informing affected consumers about their rights, including information required under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (413).

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-25 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.