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I was watching the news this morning, and several people are calling for the airlines in Europe, to care for all of the stranded passengers due to the volcano.
Last I checked, the airlines couldn't predict a volcano, and you accept a certain level of risk when trying to fly anyway.
Should airlines be forced to pay for meals and lodging, while they wait for the ash clouds to decrease?
No, unlike other situations where I think they SHOULD accommodate passengers, this is something everyone just has to wait out.
It isn't just passenger inconvenience and costs, airlines are losing a ton of money on this too.
I tend to favor British Airways and Lufthansa over any other airline for international flights, not just based on the fact that they are convenient and have provided good service, but also because they both have taken good care of me when uncontrollable circumstances (not airline responsibility) put me in a similar situation. My American Express would have covered and provided travel disruption services but the airlines got me into good hotels and took care of the meals and transportation. Of course, neither experiences involved more than 24 hours, still... they are favored by me for business.
So, airlines could take care of people as good will, and to impress customers but they don't have to. IMO, governments of nationalities involved should step in to assist those that are stranded.
I was watching the news this morning, and several people are calling for the airlines in Europe, to care for all of the stranded passengers due to the volcano.
Last I checked, the airlines couldn't predict a volcano, and you accept a certain level of risk when trying to fly anyway.
Should airlines be forced to pay for meals and lodging, while they wait for the ash clouds to decrease?
The airlines already do that when flights are delayed or cancelled due to snow. Everybody knows that places like Salt Lake, Denver, Chicago, etc. get a lot of snow in the winter. Yet, they still schedule flights and sell seats. It's the price of doing business.
Why don't you book a flight to Europe via Newark and let us know how you feel about sleeping on the floor for 5 straight days?
No, they should not be responsible for the stranded passengers. Traveling by air has inherit risks, and many variables that are out of the airline's control. This is such an example. The airlines are already losing big $ from this anyway, I doubt they can afford to take care of all the those people. Besides, one should always bring extra $$ when traveling by air. You never know when you might need it. There are so many variables that could throw your plans off.
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