The European Union is known for its consumer protections for airline passengers, thanks to its EC261 scheme. The reality is that while rules are written a certain way, their enforcement is often determined through court decisions (like alcohol not being considered a “refreshment” for the purposes of reimbursement from airlines during a delay). So here’s another fun court case, which ended up working out well for a traveler…
The backstory here is fun. His plan was to spend one night in Paris, and then to fly the following morning on a separately booked ticket on Air Europa from Paris to Madrid (MAD). He was taking these flights on SkyTeam airlines because he was participating the SAS EuroBonus million mile challenge.
Unfortunately his travel plans quickly fell apart. First his flight to Amsterdam was canceled, so he was rebooked to Paris via Berlin (BER), but then that was canceled as well. Then he was rebooked via Vienna (VIE), but the second flight ended up being canceled. So it became increasingly unlikely that he’d be able to make it to Paris in time for his flight the next day.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
