Paris Olympics and Concerts: How Do External Factors Affect Your Trip?

Aviation

A few weeks ago, the whole of social media was abuzz with flight cancellations when it was announced that French airspace would be a no-fly zone on the 26th of July, during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics Games. 

How This Affects The Situation

If you already have or plan to book a flight to/from Paris on the 26th of July, airlines can cancel or modify your flight. The French Civil Aviation Authority DGAC described the creation of a temporary no-fly zone as one of the safety measures taken ahead of the Paris Olympics.

The zone includes these Paris airports: 

• Charles de Gaulle;
• Orly;
• Beauvais–Tillé

As the news was announced in May, a few months before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the airlines are not obliged to pay additional compensation for flight disruption under Regulation EU261/2004. 

What options do you have? 

• Accept a new flight 

Or 

• Receive a refund if the flight has been cancelled

Airlines, such as Ryanair, EasyJet, and WizzAir, have been requested to reduce flights to and from Paris, and cancellations of flights already started.

This means that the congestion at the nearest airports may increase and the question is whether they are ready for it. If a few dozen flights a day are normal, the number of flights on such days can exceed the limits set for such airports. Check-in baggage queues may increase, as well as security check lines.

What Does It Mean For Travellers?

You have bought a reasonably priced low-cost airline flight ticket and have already booked your accommodation. And here you find out that your flight was cancelled. Now you need to find a new flight, a new place to stay or completely change your trip.

While submitting compensation claims, the majority of our clients request reimbursement for the hotel they have already booked, but airlines are not required to reimburse for what passengers have already booked in advance, regardless of the city of arrival or departure. 

The only option is when a flight is delayed and the passenger is cooperating with the airline for the new flight, or they are waiting for a delayed flight to begin operating, and during this waiting period, an airline would offer accommodation or cover this additional expense.

And This Is Just The Beginning

The problem doesn’t just affect you or your family. Other passengers are also taking measures to cope with the situation, so other flights may likely be full and congestion would also increase at airports.

Sporting events, air traffic control, airport workers’ strikes and big music stars’ world tours only add extra weight to the tourist season for the aviation market. Even if you’re not a fan of someone like Taylor Swift, her concert can affect your plans without you knowing. Many of her North American fans choose to come to Europe to watch the singer perform and admit that the costs, including flight tickets, accommodation and concert tickets, are low compared to US concert tickets. During the concert period, the influx of people will increase the availability and cost of accommodation, as well as transport to/from the airport.

If you’re used to arriving an hour before your flight, the summer hustle and bustle combined with the fans will disrupt your plans. Check-in and security check queues will form a maze where not only Alice will get lost and not even a white rabbit with a clock will be able to help you.

How Can You Avoid Headaches?

Always have several options for flights and other transportation.

For example, if a connecting flight Vilnius – Riga – Amsterdam is cancelled, there are options such as a low-cost ticket from Kaunas to Eindhoven, then switch to a very low-cost train ticket from Eindhoven to Amsterdam to get you to your desired location.

The non-refundable accommodation option is not always a budget-friendly choice, especially during the summer tourism season. Book several hotel options with free cancellation, so if your flight gets cancelled, you can change your location and lodging more quickly and with less hassle. 

Arrive at airports much earlier, as the amount of time it will take for all the checks to be completed in the event of an increase in passenger numbers is still being determined. In an ideal world, everyone knows all the procedures and they run smoothly. The tourist season is always chaotic, with families travelling with young children, and groups of children on summer holidays.

If Regulation EC261/2004 needs to be clarified and you would like some advice, you can always contact the helpline on the Skycop platform. Our website was recently updated to provide our customers with a more convenient tool in their fight for compensation.