Bulgaria Tour Operators without Extra Pay for Stranded Travelers

A member of the crisis committee of the German air traffic control shows Tuesday calculations about the extent of the ash cloud over Europe. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's travel agents and tour operators do not owe additional compensations to customers experiencing difficulties related to delays and cancellations triggered by the ash cloud from a volcano in Iceland.

In a letter, distributed Tuesday, the Association of the Bulgarian Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ABTTA) states such compensations are not provided by airline careers when flight are delayed and canceled or when passengers refuse to board the plane, all situations that exist currently at locations around the world.

Air traffic has been almost at a standstill for nearly a week with a large number of air travelers stranded as thousands of flights are still being canceled. The mayhem is caused by a huge volcanic ash cloud drifting south and east across the continent from Iceland. The ash - a mixture of glass, sand and rock particles could be catastrophic to aircraft. The disruptions began last Wednesday when the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano erupted for the second time in a month while Airlines experience huge losses each day.

ABTTA voice support for the measures undertaken by the European Commission and other European institutions, and are firmly behind the position that safety must come first, according to the letter.

ABTTA point out that the European air travelers are protected by common European rules, which must be adhered to by all those involved in the emergency situation now.

The EU passenger rights that apply in this situation are: the right to receive information from airlines (e.g. on your rights, on the situation as it evolves, cancellations and length of delays: the right to care (refreshments, meals, accommodation as appropriate); the right to chose between reimbursement of fares or be re-routed to final destination

In an exceptional circumstance such as this, passengers are not however entitled to additional financial compensation that would be the case where delays or cancellations are the fault of the airline, ABTTA remind.

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