Hundreds of flights canceled or delayed for hours, uncertainty and unanswered questions: this is the general atmosphere of airports around the world in the middle of the summer season. Whether it’s staff shortages, overbooking or technical issues, airlines, whether scheduled or low-cost, cancel, reschedule or postpone flights during this period, which is why many of them are now facing with a wave of complaints.
In this context, passengers are the ones who suffer the most, having to cancel their trips or rethink their entire holiday plan. Precisely for this reason, tourism specialists recommend that they be prepared for any situation and consider a backup option.
According to a FlightClaim.ro study, 65% of the respondents have already had at least one flight delay or cancellation from the beginning of the year until now. The survey also found out that low-cost airlines continue to be preferred (73.7%) by passengers over airlines.
Tourists plan to travel more this year
According to the same survey, over 82% of participants say they have already flown since the beginning of the year and until now, while 92% have expressed their intention to travel by plane this summer. Top places they choose include Europe (87.5% voted), distant intercontinental destinations such as the United States, 27.5% of respondents voted, and close intercontinental destinations such as Egypt, Israel or the Emirates. United Arabs, voted by 17.5% of respondents. At the same time, the study shows that Romanians continue to book tickets in advance, in an attempt to get the best prices: 47.5% of respondents buy them 2 weeks – 2 months before, 37.5% take them more than two months in advance, while only 15% buy them 2 weeks in advance.
At the same time, accommodation is usually booked along with the plane ticket (61.5%). 28.2% of the respondents choose to book accommodation as close as the departure date, for they want to make sure their flight is not cancelled or amended, while 10.3% book their hotel before the flight.
Passengers remain cautious about summer flights
Amid the existing aviation chaos, 55% of passengers who have announced flights for this summer believe that there is a high chance that they will experience a flight cancellation or change. At the same time, 65% of them have already had at least one flight delay or cancellation. Regarding the solutions they resorted to in case of problems, it seems that 67.8% of them opted for the option proposed by the airline (return of money in the account, re-routing of the flight, acceptance of the new proposed program). 21.4% resorted to a company specialized in assisting passengers to obtain compensation, while 3.6% filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC).
Low-cost airlines, which offer affordable prices and a generous portfolio to destinations around the world, are still preferred (73.7%) by passengers over airlines. Among the reasons why passengers say they would give up flying with a certain airline are: repeated flight cancellations and delays, baggage policy, inappropriate behavior on board the ship, but also poor communication with passengers.
Last but not least, passengers need to know that they have rights and that they can benefit from compensation from airlines for delaying or canceling flights, but also for lost luggage.