Blacklisted Airlines: Who they are and what we do about them?
Managing airline accessibility for our clients is a complicated business. It is often a balancing act between offering maximum choice and flexibility, the safety and security of the traveller and the competitiveness of the fare.
As your travel management company, Key Travel is constantly monitoring the safety standards and guidelines of the world’s airlines to ensure that we are armed with the most up to date information and to protect our customers from a duty of care perspective. We have a quality control check that flags bookings at multiple stages of the booking process and alerts your consultant if the airline is either blacklisted by the EU, not covered by Scheduled Airline Failure Cover (SAFC), or not recommended by Key Travel for one of a number of other service related issues.
It is important to note that if you or your employees were to attempt to make a booking with any blacklisted airline directly (as opposed to with Key Travel), you would be able to do so without any real problem, leaving you and your organisation exposed to issues of safety, financial security and corporate & social responsibility.
Below you will find a breakdown of the way that flights are categorised and the way we manage the sale of them to our clients.
EU Banned Airlines
EU banned airlines are airlines that have been identified by the civil aviation authorities of member States of the European Community as failing to meet applicable safety standards. They are banned from operating within European air space.
Airlines currently banned include: Ariana Afghan Airlines and Hewa Bora Airways from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Air Astana was banned from flying within EU airspace but has presented to the EU Commission a series of corrective actions to rectify the safety efficiencies identified during ramp inspections in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Air Astana is now allowed to continue to operate to/from EU airports, but its operations are limited to the present level and with the aircrafts currently used.
Airlines Not Covered by Scheduled Airline Failure Cover (SAFC)
Key Travel offers all of our clients free Scheduled Airline Failure Cover that covers you should an airline cease to operate. Unlike other Travel Management Companies we don’t charge separately for this; it is automatically included within the air fares quoted to you.
However, there are some occasions when we cannot offer you SAFC and we will of course always advise you of these so that you are able to make well informed decisions about who you choose to fly with.
What isn't covered?
New Start Ups
Airlines that have been in operation for 2 years or less, such as the reformed Alitalia.
Airlines in Financial Difficulty
These are airlines recognised by our insurance provider as being in an unstable financial position. Airlines in this classification include: Olympic Airlines, Air Senegal, and Zambian Airways.
Chapter 11 Airlines (US airlines in financial difficulty)
‘Chapter 11’ is an American term that is used by the US government to classify airlines that are facing financial difficulties. Going into ‘Chapter 11’ means that an airline can not be sued by anyone to whom they owe money. When in ‘Chapter 11’ the airline continues to operate flights as normal, sell tickets and process refunds.
Currently, the only carrier with Chapter 11 status is Frontier Airlines
Key Travel ‘Not Recommended’ Airlines
Key Travel maintains its own list of blacklisted airlines that we do not recommend unless there is no reasonable alternative. This list is comprised of airlines that are not recommended due to our own negative experiences with them and those advised to us by our clients. Reasons can be varied and include the cancellation of flights at short notice, not offering assistance to passengers en-route, airlines who have no after sales care or don’t pay refunds or compensation.
Airlines that fall into this category include Air India, Bellview Airlines, Cameroon Airlines and GMG Airlines.
How Do We Manage the Sale of These Airlines?
In all cases Key Travel will not offer quotes for the above categorised airlines within any itineraries requested by our clients. However, in circumstances where the client is adamant that they want to fly with that particular airline, or in situations where that part of the world is poorly served by alternative carriers, we will book the flight, but not before the issue of both verbal and written disclaimers that detail the consequential risks. In the case of EU banned airlines we will only be able to book the flight if the departure airport is outside of the EU.
More Info
- For a full list of airlines blacklisted by the EU please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban
- For the most recent ‘Update of the Community Black List of Airlines’ please click here
- For an updated list of airlines of the ‘Key Travel Blacklist’ please contact your reservations team.
- To download a copy of this whitepaper click here
