Anyone whose flight is canceled will not receive their money back in the coming months, only compensation vouchers • The move is intended to help airlines

• Refunds on canceled flights - up to 90 days

  Photo: 

  Reuters

After long weeks of discussing the issue of refunds for canceled flights, the Knesset today (Monday) approved the amendments to the Cancellation of Flights Law in the second and third readings. Airlines will start refunding flights canceled during the Corona period only from the end of August, and this period of time is not final and can be extended by another 9 months.

MK Ahmad Tibi (joint list) opposed the decision, which was intended to help airlines recover from the crisis: "This is a law that repeals the most consumer law that was in the Knesset. . I am proud that it is called the Tibi Law and I am proud that it forces the airlines to be punctual and to take into account mistakes, delays, cancellations and return and compensate the passengers. I have seen how the chairman of the Economy Committee, MK Margie, finds it difficult to pass this law. Airlines are almost collapsing so the state is obligated to inject direct aid to the airlines. Instead what did they do? We are depriving the citizen. "

The government proposal approved by the Finance Committee will amend the Aviation Services Act, which deals with compensation and assistance to pilots due to flight cancellation or a change in its terms. The government seeks in the proposal, in light of the corona crisis, to reduce airline damages and set a temporary provision, for a limited period, that will reduce passengers' rights to compensation. The right to assistance will be almost unaffected, the right to a refund will be maintained, but the time until the refund is received will be extended and the airlines will be able to offer a replacement flight ticket in its place again, and the right to compensation will be revoked for the temporary order. 

According to the approved proposal, the temporary order will apply until August 31, 2020, when it will be possible to extend it for a period not exceeding another nine months. It was further determined that the changes will also apply retroactively to all flights canceled from March 1, 2020 and to flights canceled to and destinations on which returners are subject to an obligation to isolate even according to March 1.

In addition, eligibility for accommodation for a passenger whose flight was canceled during the temporary order period will be limited to two nights only. However, the committee decided not to limit the price of accommodation, in contrast to the original wording in which the Civil Aviation Authority sought to limit the cost of accommodation to one hundred dollars per night. It was further confirmed that the airlines will be obligated to return the money to customers on their own initiative and within 90 days from the date of cancellation of the flight, or after 30 days from the entry into force of the temporary order - whichever is later. This is instead of 21 days from the date of the customer's application, as provided by law today.

In order to get on well with consumers, the committee members determined that unlike the current situation, where the customer is the one who has to contact the airline, during the temporary order period the airlines will have to return the money on their own initiative. In addition, airlines were given the option to offer a voucher, instead of a refund. The voucher will be given to the consumer only if he agrees to it in writing, in order to make sure that the consumer is aware of the possibility of getting his money back instead of the voucher.

It is further stipulated that the vouchers will be issued within 14 days of receiving the passenger's consent, its value will be at least the amount paid by the passenger for the canceled flight and will be valid for at least one year. A customer who does not redeem the voucher will be entitled to get his money back.

At the end of the hearing, Chairman Margie announced that he would ask the committee's legal adviser, Adv. Itai Atzmon, not to place the bill on the plenary table until progress has been made on the outline of assistance to airlines. El Al CEO Gonen Ussishkin commented on this, saying: "These are not days as a correction. "We have 95% of the workforce in the IDF and we have run out of money. We will strive to summarize the outline with the Treasury in the coming days. The company's intention to return all the money to its customers and the bill will help us with that."