Airlines have found in the fuel crisis the best argument to cut your benefits as a passenger

If you are thinking of traveling by plane in the coming months, you should be alert, since your flight is susceptible to cancellations. It’s not that we want to ruin your plans, far from it, but the truth is that the kerosene shortage generated by the conflict in the middle east has given European airlines a political lever that they are not hesitating to use.

Crisis. He blockade of the Strait of Hormuzthrough which a substantial part of the world’s oil and kerosene supply transits, has sent aviation fuel prices soaring. On April 16, the International Energy Agency warned that Europe could have reserves for just six weeks.

Just like share Financial Times, airlines such as EasyJet, which has announced larger than expected losses; Lufthansa, which has already canceled more than 20,000 flights; or Virgin Atlantic, which has acknowledged to the media that it will be difficult for them to close the year positively, are examples of what monster we are facing.

What they are asking for the airlines. The sector has activated an offensive against Brussels and London. And according to they point From the FT, sector associations are pushing to delay or eliminate a long list of measures that they have been fighting for years: from the rule that would allow passengers to carry a second piece of hand luggage for free to changes in the compensation policy for canceled flights and modifications in airport slots (the time slots that airlines adhere to when operating flights).

ANDl hand luggage. The European Parliament is studying whether passengers should have the right to take on board, at no additional cost, a second larger piece of luggage in addition to the usual handbag. For airlines like Iberia or British Airways this does not represent any change, because they already allow it. But for low-cost companies, which have built their business model precisely on charging for that additional luggage, it is something that directly affects their profitability.

Disadvantage. Just like share FT, the airlines’ position is that these regulations already put them at a disadvantage compared to competitors from other regions of the world, and that a crisis like the current one aggravates that imbalance. “I have not started a war in Iran. Why do I have to accept its consequences?” counted Wizz Air CEO József Váradi, in the middle. Their argument is that governments should exempt airlines from paying compensation when a fuel supply problem prevents them from operating.

What they have already achieved. Some requests have already begun to find answers. The UK Government has announced which will allow airlines to request an exemption from the ‘use it or lose it’ rule (which forces them to use airport slots or lose them) if fuel shortages prevent them from flying.

In Brussels, the Commissioner for Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, has promised “temporary changes in legislation” if the situation worsens, and included in that list slot rules, anti-tank rules (which prevent airlines from filling tanks with cheaper fuel before entering the region) and passenger rights. However, Tzitzikostas also noted that he has no intention of telling people to travel less: “There is no need to intervene in how people live, work or travel.”

The “temporary” trap. The key word in all European concessions is ‘temporary’. Regulators are aware that these measures, once in place, are difficult to reverse, and the sector knows it. The precedent of slots during the pandemic (when the rule was suspended and it took years for airlines to return to normal in terms of regulation) still resonates in the offices of Brussels.

Cover image | Suhyeon Choi

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