Originally Posted by
headingwest
What the EU has said can be interpreted as meaning that the airline can decide, not the passenger. We will have to see if other airlines, such as Aegean, interpret it that way. I have 2 bookings with cancelled flights, one with Austrian and one with Virgin, so we will see.
I think the key thing to remember is to read these interpretative guidelines alongside the Regulation. Doing that, it's clear that the passenger ultimately makes the decision on whether to accept re-routing or refund. Any airline which refuses to refund in cancellation of their flight will face a world of trouble.Interpretative guidelines are there to remind airlines of their obligations and clarify how they are applied in these extraordinary circumstances. They do not supplant the Regulation itself. And in my reading, it makes clear that if an airline cancels, offering a voucher alone is not an option. Passengers must be offered a full refund if the airline cancels their flight. No ifs, no buts.