As coronavirus continues to affect more holidaymakers, a new travel app promises passengers to get their money back if their flights are impacted by the virus.
Travellers worried about their holiday plans being disrupted by delayed and cancelled flights can download the Colibra app before take-off and know that they will be compensated if anything goes wrong.
Currently, under EU261 regulation, only a third of flights that are delayed by three hours or more or cancelled are eligible for compensation as most of these cases are classed as not being the fault of the airline.
Colibra promises travellers their money back whether the delay or cancellation is the fault of the airline or not.
This means those affected by coronavirus will receive pay-outs whether the airline voluntarily cancels flights or if they’re delayed for other reasons.
If there is no explicit decision by the authorities, government or other official institutions to suspend all flights due to coronavirus , passengers should be compensated by Colibra if the airlines choose to cancel flights themselves.
To have the opportunity to receive compensation for their flights, travellers just need to download Colibra no later than 20 minutes before their flight.
They can then use the default 60 minute pay-out feature for payment, or move the time slider to increase the value of their compensation.
Within 24 hours after landing they will be compensated, for any delay reason - 100% guaranteed.
Miroslav Zaporozhanov, Co-Founder & CMO of Colibra said: “Since the outbreak of the coronavirus , there have been significant changes to air travel.
“Flight companies have two possible moves. One is to cancel flights that they believe won’t be profitable since numerous passengers are cancelling themselves which means a drop in demand. Another option is to fly anyway but experience tremendous losses.
“This means that they're forced to suspend all flights on the affected routes. This affects customers’ trust in the airline.”
Mr Zaporozhanov also offered advice to passengers who have booked with an airline and are worried about their routes being affected by coronavirus.
He said “They could try to contact the airline to gather some additional information. However, reaching them in light of the recent events would be extremely difficult and we’re positive most of the airline companies are now flooded with requests.
“Alternatively, passengers could hire a lawyer to check the flight's case and potentially file a claim.”
Often, passengers who have booked a flight by themselves and not through a travel agency, will not usually get their money back if their flight is delayed or cancelled.
However, if you've bought through a travel agency or other third-party, you may be covered.
If travellers are worried about their airline not honouring flights due to coronavirus they can sign up for Colibra’s app which will protect them from any cancellations.
Once registered, passengers will receive compensation no matter the reason for the delay or cancellation.
The Colibra app is free to download and available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. You can find out more information on the Colibra website here .
