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The resumption of flights is a decision at the discretion of the EU member states, the European Commission cannot intervene, the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, told Digi24. She anticipates that if a country has an interest in certain tourist destinations, it will establish contacts with those states to facilitate flights for tourists.
“We will be able to fly when Member States decide to lift the restrictions, we cannot decide from Brussels,” Adina Vălean told Digi24 on Wednesday.
When asked what could determine the countries to open the flights, Vălean said that “there are epidemiological criteria, related to the capacity of each state to carry out tests and, based on these criteria, decisions will be made by each state.” However, the resumption of flights will be gradual, he added.
An impetus for the resumption of flights may be tourism. If a country is interested in certain destinations, it can establish contacts with that state to make bilateral agreements.
“If Romania wants to resume certain destinations, contacts will be established and a solution can be found, we will be at your disposal,” said Adina Valean.
Flight conditions
Regarding flight conditions, Adina Vălean said that airports should guarantee the flow of passengers, and that the boarding / disembarking of passengers should be carried out in an orderly manner, without congestion.
Passengers will wear masks during the flight and will travel as little as possible on the plane, especially since the European Commission does not recommend the space leaving seats free.
“We recommend wearing a mask on an airplane, because physical distance is not possible in that space,” said the European Commissioner.
Adina Vălean is confident that airlines will find safe solutions to attract their passengers.
Canceled flights: refund or coupon
Adina Vălean revealed to Digi24 that at the European Commission level there was enormous pressure from companies to change European legislation, so that passengers would be forced to accept coupons for flights canceled due to the pandemic, instead of refunding the money . She says any legislative changes have been rejected and that she has recommended that companies make coupons as attractive as possible so that they can be accepted by customers.
“It remains the fundamental right of passengers to receive a refund if they so choose,” Valean said.
Businesses can offer vouchers, but cannot compel passengers to accept them. To persuade customers to accept coupons, they must be guaranteed that passengers will not lose them if the company goes bankrupt.
The coupon must also guarantee the value of the service, not just the amount of money, to avoid its devaluation by making the ticket more expensive. Furthermore, a transferable bond would be more attractive, considers Adină Vălean, who said there are enough solutions for air operators to keep their clients.
Publisher: Bogdan Păcurar
