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RTL travel expert Ralf Benkö explainsFear of Easter holidays in Türkiye and Egypt – can I still cancel now?
Cancel or sit it out?
Easter is just around the corner – and for many with it, a well-deserved Easter holiday. Turkey and Egypt are particularly popular because of their hours of sunshine. But for many, the anticipation is now dampened. Because of the war in the Middle East, they would prefer not to fly at all. Our RTL travel expert Ralf Benkö explains what worried vacationers need to know now.
After Iran attack! “Restrictions on travel cannot be ruled out”
They've been working for a week now USA and Israel target Iran. The country reacts with counterattacks. There were many injuries and deaths in the region. On Wednesday, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, “a ballistic missile fired from Iran was intercepted over Turkish territory,” explains the Foreign Office.
The war also affects many German vacationers: “The airspace of several countries has been closed. Further airspace closures are also possible,” explains the Foreign Office in several information on the security situation. “Numerous airlines have stopped flight operations to the region. This also affects international hubs such as the airports in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Restrictions on travel cannot therefore be ruled out even outside the directly affected region.”
Easter holidays are approaching: when you can cancel for free and when not
But what does this mean for the upcoming Easter holiday? How dangerous is traveling – especially to Turkey or Egypt? After all, the travel advice from the Foreign Office has recently been tightened. A partial travel warning has been in effect for Egypt for some time. But what does that mean? When and how can you cancel your vacation without fearing high fees?
Since Turkey is only a travel advisory – and only for regions in the border area with Iran, Iraq and Syria and not for the classic holiday regions – in most cases it is not enough to be able to cancel a booking free of charge. Basically, the decisive factor for a free cancellation is the corresponding “cancellation before the start of the trip” law. This stipulates, among other things, that cancellations can be made free of charge if “unavoidable, exceptional circumstances arise”. This is usually true if there is a travel warning.
If you still want to cancel, you will have to pay cancellation fees.
The same applies to Egypt: “If I go on holiday in Hurghada, for example, there is no partial travel warning. But for the Sinai Peninsula in the northern area it is,” says the travel expert. “If my holiday area were in this area of the partial travel warning, then I would have a good argument to talk to the organizers and say: 'I can't do that, please rebook and cancel free of charge.'”
And the consumer advice center also explains: “Whether the trip is significantly affected always depends on the situation on site and not on the personal assessment of the traveler. Anyone who cancels out of fear or because they don't want to travel cannot rely on exceptional circumstances.” It goes on to say: “The unavoidable, exceptional circumstances must exist during the travel period.”
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“Get the travel price back” – a warning applies to these countries
However, there is a travel warning for numerous other countries in the Middle East. These include Israel, Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen. “Anyone who has booked something for these countries in the near future should actually quickly come to a solution with the tour operator if they have booked as a package so that the trip can be canceled free of charge or rebooked or something similar,” explains Benkö.
“And that would have to happen free of charge for me. I would have to get the travel price back,” the travel expert continued. “Of course it’s different if I haven’t booked a package.” Because as long as the airline flies and a hotel stay is possible, it's not that easy to get out of the booking, he explains.
Sources used: own RTL research, Foreign Office Consumer advice center BGB and dpa
