The fuel shortage is causing concern and hitting the airline market hard. Many are now holding off on booking their summer trip.
Don't do it, advises aviation expert Jan Ohlsson.
“The plane tickets will be expensive,” he tells The Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused a global oil crisis with soaring prices and warnings of fuel shortages. Experts warn that Europe could run out of jet fuel within six weeks.
Several airlines have reduced traffic. Most recently on Tuesday, Lufthansa in 20,000 departures between May and October.
This is causing many travelers to hold off on booking their summer trip. But is it wise?
No, says aviation expert Jan Ohlsson.
The Expert: Book now
He thinks that anyone planning a trip this summer should book now, but be prepared to be rebooked to a different time or destination.
Hotels in popular destinations may soon be fully booked and there are still cheap tickets available due to lack of demand – at least for now.
– Airfares will be expensive. Even if there is peace tomorrow and the Strait of Hormuz reopens, it will take at least two months before fuel deliveries are back and the warehouses are filled. Before that, the price of fuel will not go down, he tells Hufvudstadsbladet.
Advice for the trip
Jan Ohlsson gives several pieces of advice to anyone keen on travelling. You should check that your travel insurance covers rebooking of hotels and transport before booking.
You should also avoid stopovers if possible and book within the same airline alliance. This is because airlines and airports can prioritize their own companies and partners in a crisis. Long-haul routes between the US and Asia, which are the most profitable, will remain operational the longest, while domestic flights are given the lowest priority.
It is also important to have everything on one booking.
– If you book separate tickets, there may be problems if one of the flights is canceled. If you have everything on the same booking, the entire trip is handled as a whole when rebooking, he tells Hufvudstadsbladet.
Different countries may also be hit differently. Denmark and the Netherlands have large stocks of jet fuel, while the UK gets its jet fuel from Kuwait, which could make things tougher for airports there.
If the flight is cancelled
If the flight is canceled, you have the right to a refund or rebooking.
But can airlines claim force majeure to avoid paying compensation if the flight is canceled due to fuel shortage?
– There is no case law yet on fuel shortages, as the situation is new. A very extensive and global fuel shortage could perhaps be seen as an exceptional circumstance outside the airline's control. But each case is assessed individually and there are no clear answers yet, says Tuuli Forstén at the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority to Hufvudstadsbladet.
Source: expressen.se
