No Passenger Left Behind: IATA Launches Customer Protection Agreement

It doesn’t happen too often. Usually there’s some advance notice to all of this, but nonetheless it does happen: an airline suddenly goes bankrupt and immediately ceases operations.

And where does that leave you on your European vacation? On the you-know-what out of luck list. But now there are some protections being put in place to avoid that fiasco.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced a new arrangement to help passengers impacted by airline bankruptcy. A voluntary agreement on behalf of its members flying to, from and within Europe will cover the repatriation of passengers unable to return home due to an airline ceasing operations as a result of financial failure.

The program is being dubbed "No Passenger Left Behind."

“I am delighted to say that passengers left stranded in the rare and unfortunate event of an airline bankruptcy will be offered ‘rescue fares’ from airlines to ensure they can get home, “ said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO, speaking at a round-table meeting with journalists in Brussels on Tuesday. The agreement formalizes a long-standing custom that many airlines have traditionally offered in these rare instances.

Under the agreement, in the event of an airline bankruptcy, IATA member airlines flying to and from the EU will make their best efforts to offer repatriation to passengers stranded away from home. These passengers will be provided access to discounted transport to return home, subject to available capacity.

IATA says the ‘rescue fares’ will be a nominal amount and will be available for purchase up to a maximum of two weeks after an airline ceases operations to anyone flying to, from or within Europe who does not already possess insurance covering this eventuality.

“This agreement on rescue fares shows that the airline industry is more determined than ever to ensure reliable and consistently excellent customer service. Airlines have formalized a unique cooperation agreement that puts passenger needs first,” Tyler said.

The European Commission has estimated that between 2011 and 2020, only 0.07 percent of all passengers could be affected by airline bankruptcy, and of them, only 12 percent would require assistance in getting home.

Source: Travel Pulse