What are the consequences for those who have already booked a trip to Israel ? Is it possible tocancel your booked stay on site free of charge ? THE European Consumer Center (CEC) recalls the rights of travelers in the event of a conflict.
If the company cancels your flight because of security tensions in Israel and the Palestinian territories, you are entitled to a refund of your plane tickets but not to additional compensation. You must contact the airline, even if you booked your plane via an intermediary online platform.
On the other hand, if your flight is maintained, check the type of your ticket and the general conditions of sale (CGV). Also contact the company to find out about any commercial policies in place. You will know if you can cancel it and request a refund or postponement of the flight with or without fees.
Travel insurance generally excludes climatic risks (cyclones, tsunamis, etc.), health risks (dengue fever, etc.) and political risks (attacks, civil war, etc.) from their general conditions. It is therefore not possible to use them to cancel your flight or your stay and get a refund. On the other hand, some of your other insurance (bank card or other) may possibly cover this type of situation. So remember to take a look or ask your bank or insurance company.
The European Union allows in the event of exceptional and unavoidable circumstances at or near the destination to cancel a package trip (flight + hotel). If you have booked a package trip to Israel or a neighboring country in the Middle East, you can contact your travel agency. You can ask them to cancel your stay due to the current situation. If your cancellation is accepted, you are entitled to a full refund of amounts already paid but not to compensation.
If the travel agency based in the EU cancels your trip, you are in principle entitled: either to an equivalent alternative trip (other destinations, other dates, etc.), or to a refund of the sums paid. The agency cannot impose a refund on you in the form of a credit. You remain free to accept or not this method of reimbursement.
Furthermore, if your flight is canceled in the event of bomb threat, as was the case in French airports in recent days, the airline can claim that these disruptions are due to an extraordinary circumstance (like bad weather) beyond its control. In this case, it is required to reimburse the plane ticket or offer another flight, but no compensation is possible.
