What to do if your air flight is cancelled. What should VIM-Avia passengers do? Is it worth buying return tickets yourself?

The incredible situation with the mass cancellation of VIM Avia flights has led to the fact that many passengers are forced to do something with their purchased tickets, so as not to find themselves in the situation of those tens of thousands of people who are stuck in several resort airports. If you have a VIM Avia ticket in your hands, what to do with it and how to issue a refund, read the article.

What to do with VIM Avia tickets

Firstly, you don't have to return your tickets. Obligations to operate VIM Avia flights were assumed by Ural Airlines, Nordstar, Red Wings, North wind, Yakutia, Icarus and I Fly.

In order to resolve the current situation, 200 million rubles were allocated from the Russian budget. This money will be used to pay off the expenses of the above companies that transport VIM Avia passengers on regular and charter flights.

In addition, it was decided to allocate extra-budgetary funds to pay off VIM Avia’s debt to airports, as well as to pay for fuel. Such measures were taken to ensure the airline's charter flights from abroad to Russia. Moreover, external managers will control the expenditure of funds.

VIM Avia passengers are also transported to Russia at the expense of tour operators, who are forced to involve other aircraft in cooperation charter airlines. It is interesting that the Greek carrier Ellin Air also offered its help, expressing its readiness to fly out VIM Avia passengers, and at its own expense.

You can follow the current schedule of VIM Avia flights and news on the official website of the Federal Air Transport Agency - favt.ru (section "News") or on the official website of Vnukovo Airport - vnukovo.ru (where flights from Domodedovo were transferred by agreement).

Latest news from VIM Avia

Currently, according to representatives of the Federal Air Transport Agency, there are no longer large concentrations of VIM Avia passengers. Gradually, all airline passengers are transported to Russia both on VIM Avia flights itself and on flights of airlines that have undertaken the corresponding obligations.

In addition, tour operators are not sleeping either. Almost all passengers whose trips for October were “tied” to VIM Avia flights have already been re-booked onto flights of other carriers.

From October 1, VIM Avia canceled regular flights to Simferopol and Sochi. It is planned to operate regular flights to cities until October 15 Far East, then they will be canceled too.

Refund of VIM Avia e-tickets

You can only issue a refund for an air ticket where it was purchased. That is, you need to contact exactly the agency where you booked your flight. If you did this at the ticket office, you need to go there and be sure to have your passport with you.

If the ticket was issued on the official website of VIM Avia, a refund request must be sent to [email protected]. In your request, be sure to include your full name, flight number, electronic air ticket, departure time and date, booking number and contact phone number. Once your application has been processed, you will be sent an estimate of the refund amount minus any penalties or fees. You will need to agree with the calculation, then the return will be completed and you will receive the appropriate certificate. If the ticket was paid for by credit card, after the refund is processed, the money will be credited to your account within 30 business days.

You will need to print out the certificate; you will need it to return it. cash. If the ticket was paid through Euroset, you will need to contact the nearest salon with this certificate, passport and receipt for payment of the ticket. The money will be refunded in cash.

If the ticket was paid through the Qiwi terminal, the money will be returned to the card. But to do this, you will need to write an additional application and send it to the airline’s contact e-mail indicated above. You can download the application form on the company’s official website.

Please note that in case of a voluntary return (if the flight has not been officially cancelled), not all funds will be refunded. The airline will deduct a refund processing fee. The amount of the fee depends on the tariff.

1000 rub. — when making a refund more than one day before the departure date;

1000 rub. and 50% of the fare amount if returned less than one day before departure;

2000 rub. and 50% of the fare amount when processing a refund after departure.

Promo tickets are non-refundable. What is it and in what cases can you get a refund for non-refundable ticket, .

In situations where you are applying for a refund on an officially canceled flight, the money will be refunded in full. Regardless of the fare, including non-refundable Promo fare tickets.

On Monday, September 25, the Russian Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency announced that the VIM-Avia airline is suspending charter passenger transportation. Already today, all 14 flights scheduled for the day were canceled at the company’s base airport - Domodedovo.

What happened to the company

The airline, whose flights began at the end of May, has run out of money and can no longer fulfill its obligations to passengers. The debt to airports and fuel suppliers is, according to The Bell, about 10 billion rubles. Lenders, in particular Zenit Bank, which is close to the government of Tatarstan, do not want to continue financing the company.

How many passengers could be affected by this?

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia believes that the situation with the carrier “will lead to a collapse in the tourism and aviation markets,” and calls on the state to intervene. ATOR estimates the potential number of tourists who may be affected by flight cancellations at 100 thousand people. According to the estimates of the Tourist Assistance Association, 43 thousand of them are now abroad: in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and Crete.

How VIM-Avia plans to get out of the crisis

The company itself assures that “all possible measures are being taken to remove passengers as quickly as possible.”

PRESS SERVICE "VIM-AVIA"

On behalf of the entire VIM-Avia airline, we apologize to the passengers of the delayed flights. Unfortunately, we have to admit that the VIM-Avia airline has a difficult economic situation. Working capital has run out, funding has been frozen, and airport services have been suspended. IN at the moment We continue negotiations with financial institutions to support the airline to normalize the situation and expedite the removal of passengers. The airline counts on the support of government agencies, as well as partners from the tourism industry. And since the airline cannot operate flights without additional funding, we are planning to introduce external crisis management.

All charter flights. This was preceded by massive flight delays, as a result of which thousands of tourists were unable to fly out of airports. The carrier's debts are estimated at billions of rubles. The company has no funds either for compensation for tourists or for replacing delayed flights.

How did it all start?

The company's first difficulties began at the end of spring: on May 31, VIM-Avia canceled hundreds of flights throughout the country. Two days later, charter flights to Turkey, Bulgaria and a number of others were postponed popular destinations. In just a week, about 10 thousand passengers were unable to fly due to disruptions in transportation. Most of them are clients of NTK Intourist tour operators, Coral Travel, ICS Travel Group and others.

At the same time, the Federal Air Transport Agency threatened with the possibility of canceling charter flights in Russia if massive delays continued. Later this information was refuted. Part of VIM-Avia’s obligations to transport passengers was assumed by the Turkish Onur Air and the Bulgarian Bulgaria Air.

VIM-Avia eliminated the disruptions in the flight schedule by mid-June. However, the company has already managed to attract the attention of law enforcement agencies. An administrative case was opened against the carrier due to the delay of 173 flights in two months in total.

Why were the delays repeated?

Spot failures occurred in the schedule in the summer. But the situation became serious on September 23. Then it became known about the company’s multibillion-dollar debts, which VIM-Avia was unable to repay. Thus, the carrier owed Domodedovo Airport over 500 million rubles for aircraft maintenance, and also systematically did not pay salaries to its employees. Flight attendants and pilots alone were underpaid by about 30 million rubles. The total debt to staff is 206 million rubles. The company's accounts payable are estimated to range from 3 to 10 billion rubles.

A prosecutor's investigation into the mass delays has already established that company employees sold tickets to passengers, knowing that they would not be able to fly. The total volume of thefts has not yet been determined, however, according to preliminary estimates, over 140 thousand tourists were affected.

Several hundred passengers are in Domodedovo in the hope that their flight will take place. Many passengers remain at the airports of Antalya, Rimini and a number of popular resorts and cannot return home.

Other air carriers have already announced that they are not going to operate flights instead of VIM-Avia. Over the summer, third-party airlines transported over 220 thousand tourists who bought VIM-Avia tickets. The Russian Union of Travel Industry has already warned that there will be nothing to take tourists out if VIM-Avia planes leave. There are practically no free sides on the market. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) has already demanded government intervention in the situation.

What do they say at VIM-Avia?

Initially, representatives of the carrier attributed the delays to the “traditional seasonal decline” and the late arrival of aircraft from maintenance. However, a few days later, the company's management admitted that it was experiencing significant financial difficulties and was unable to fulfill its obligations to passengers. They see a possible transition of the company under external management as one of the options for getting out of this situation. This is stated on the company's website.

On September 24, the management of VIM-Avia turned to the authorities for state guarantees for loans. The next day, the Federal Air Transport Agency began an unscheduled inspection of the airline due to flight delays. The Ministry of Transport also conducts its inspection. The head of the department, Maxim Sokolov, explained that problems with delays affected mainly charter flights. Regular ones leave with minimal delay from schedule. “The company delayed the repair of a number of aircraft, and in this case, charter programs were naturally cut - this is international practice,” Sokolov noted.

Based on the results of the inspections, the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency decided to suspend VIM-Avia’s charter programs, and the company was obliged to transport passengers from vacation spots independently or with the involvement of third-party forces. From Tuesday, September 26, the company's flights will be Vnukovo Airport.

What happens at airports?

VIM-Avia flights depart with many hours of delays. In Crimea, passengers of the Simferopol-Moscow flight waited at the airport for seven hours.

Both domestic Russian flights (to St. Petersburg, Sochi, Krasnodar, Blagoveshchensk, Magadan) and international flights (Dubai, Antalya, Thessaloniki, Rimini, Yerevan) were postponed. IN foreign airports over 43 thousand airline clients.

Operational headquarters for returning from abroad Russian tourists- VIM-Avia clients in Federal agency for tourism (Rosturizm). The service will receive data about clients located abroad and determine the timing of the export of tourists.

Will tourists be able to get their money back?

Rospotrebnadzor has published recommendations for tourists related to compensation for losses. In the current circumstances, the passenger has the right to refuse the flight and receive money even for a non-refundable ticket. Flight refusal in this case is considered forced.

Moreover, airline customers have the right to demand compensation for moral damages and damages due to flight delays. In addition, passengers may request a hotel if the delay exceeds eight hours. If the flight is delayed by four or more hours, customers should be provided with free hot meals. Also, according to the rules, after two or three hours you can ask for soft drinks.

In most cases, issues with cancellation of charter flights can be resolved through the tour operator. Charter flights usually not profitable for independent travelers; they are flown mainly on package tours. Large tour operators, as a rule, have no problem finding an alternative airline for the flight. The company may offer other vacation options or is obliged to fully compensate the cost of the tour. ATOR assumes that even if VIM-Avia goes bankrupt, the situation will not become critical for the tourism business.

Still, ATOR believes that Russian tour operators cannot afford to return such a number of tourists on their own.

“All charter programs of VIM-Avia until the end of the season were paid in full by tour operators. Tour operators today do not have the technical ability to allocate funds to re-pay for flights (and this, according to preliminary estimates, is at least $10 million) without the threat of disrupting stable operations,” the association’s letter says.

If you bought the ticket yourself, you can only receive compensation by contacting the airline directly. It would be a good idea to follow the messages of the Federal Air Transport Agency and the Ministry of Transport. For canceled flights to EU countries, there is a compensation system, thanks to which you can get back up to €600 for a canceled flight.

The Compensair service, which specializes in obtaining compensation for flight delays and cancellations, recommends keeping a cool head and at the same time preparing a number of documents that can further facilitate the refund procedure. So, for example, if a passenger learns about a flight cancellation while already at the airport, he should receive a written comment from the airline or a certificate of cancellation of the flight.

“I recommend collecting contact details of all passengers from the flight. This will allow the airline to file a class action complaint and then a lawsuit. In accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation, the first thing that should definitely be demanded from the airline is fulfillment of transportation obligations. It is unlikely that compensation for delay or cancellation will be obtained directly from the airline, so I recommend that passengers unite to go to court,” said the company’s general director, Roman Gilmanov.

Airlines "VIM-Avia" took several hundred tourists by surprise. Since Friday, May 26, departure problems have occurred on more than 20 flights. Most of all this affected Turkish and Cypriot destinations. Tour operators transfer people to other planes and suffer losses, and tourists block the carrier's information desks at the airport because they do not know what to do. The HotLine.travel correspondent turned to lawyers for comments.

Record more than just video

The main rule for tourists who are trapped at the airport is to record everything. And not on video and photos - according to lawyers, this does not work well in court - but on paper. You need to write down in detail: what time you were supposed to fly, how long the flight was rescheduled, whether you were provided with food, soft drinks, internet, a room for mother and child, a hotel (from 8 hours). Lawyers also recommend that you independently apply for all of the above and for reliable information about the reasons for non-flight and exact time sending to the airline and tour operator and asking them to sign their response on the same document. If there are no official representatives of the performers or they refuse to sign autographs, gather more witnesses (preferably from among your fellow countrymen) and sign everything yourself, indicating your full name and telephone numbers. All this will help you subsequently defend your rights in court.

“The reason for the flight delay will be of great importance here. We have safety rules, aircraft malfunctions, weather conditions, etc., but as I understand it, this is not the case with VIM-Avia. This is more likely a system failure, poor organization of the airline’s work. And since this is not some kind of force majeure, they must bear civil liability, including compensation for losses,” notes the lawyer for the Tourist Rights Protection Club Margarita Eremeeva.

On vacation

For tourists who flew on VIM-Avia because they bought a tour package, lawyers recommend contacting a tour operator. After the flight does take place and the tourists arrive on vacation, the tour organizer will certainly try to resolve all problems on the spot in order to avoid legal claims in the future.

If the flight delay was so significant that it led to a change in the date of check-in at the hotel, upon arrival on vacation tourists will most likely try to somehow compensate for the inconvenience. This could be an additional excursion, an upgrade to the room type, or some other bonus at the discretion of the host. If it was not possible to reach an agreement on the spot, you should submit a written complaint to the tour operator upon returning from your vacation. If the negotiations reach a dead end at this stage, all that remains is to go to court, and it is not a fact that the judge will side with the tourists.