2023-09-27 17:28:00
“We are full of resentment.” Air Belgium’s announcement to cease its passenger activity goes down badly with UPAV, the professional union of travel agencies. “The Belgian company’s way of acting is not correct, specifies spokesperson Jean-François Defour. It suddenly cancels nearly 20,000 trips to South Africa and Mauritius without offering any alternative and leaving thousands of passengers and many agencies in limbo.”
As a reminder, in financial difficulty, the Mont-Saint-Guibert air carrier has decided to stop its passenger flights, now focusing exclusively on freight and ACMI (the chartering of planes for other airlines, Editor’s note). Air Belgium also requested and obtained a judicial reorganization procedure (PRJ) with a view to reducing its debt. “This means that passengers and agencies will, at best, only be reimbursed for canceled flights in several months, insists Mr. Defour. If they are, because we know that during this type of procedure, travelers are not not the priority creditors on the list”.
“Air Belgium is not its first attempt”
According to tour operators, Air Belgium is not “its first attempt”. “The company had already presented us with a fait accompli by suddenly changing strategy and canceling all its flights to the West Indies a few months ago,” recalls the spokesperson. “Without warning us in advance. It’s unbearable. Air Belgium is once once more taking travelers hostage.” For UPAV, Air Belgium “totally violates European passenger law”.
“The rules are very clear: it is the obligation of the Belgian company to offer an alternative to the passenger in the event of flight cancellation and/or to reimburse them within seven days. Air Belgium did nothing, so that it continues its activities.” UPAV wrote to European Commissioner Didier Reynders, in charge of consumer protection, to “put pressure” on the Belgian company. “Mr Reynders is always quick to defend consumers, let him do the same for injured passengers.”
And Mr. Defour concludes. “We were very happy with the arrival of Air Belgium on the Belgian market. The company’s service was good and its prices competitive. But there was no miracle: profitability was not there. you on their ‘passenger’ slot. If, one day, the company were to resume commercial flights, we would be ultra-cautious before working with them once more.”
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