Is a cancelled flight = "extenuating circumstances"?

Sandra856
Level 10
Copenhagen, Denmark

Is a cancelled flight = "extenuating circumstances"?

Hi everyone 🙂


I got a message from a guest about 2 hours before she was suppose to do the check in that she couldn't make it because her flight from Berlin was cancelled.

She asked to get her money back. (I have a strict cancellation policy).

I wrote to her that I was very sorry her flight was cancelled but that I with such short notice wouldn't be able to rent out the room to someone else and also that I had payed to get the room cleaned and prepared for her the same morning.

I told her that she of course would get the cleaning fee. And that her travel insurance and the air plane company should help her out (She is entitled to get 250 euro from the airplane company according to european law). She just need to fill out a form.

She wrote to me that she had already mailed airbnb and the air plane company. 

She never cancelled the reservation even though she knew she wouldn't be able to stay and left me with a blocked date so no one else would be able to book the room. And now airbnb wrote to me that she because of "extenuating circumstances" will get her money back?

I just don't get it. It is not as much the money as the principle. Should I pay because the flight was cancelled? 



Hope to hear your opinion?



Kind regards Sandra

17 Replies 17
Jeff158
Level 10
Caernarfon, United Kingdom

@Sandra856 We hear you and we feel for you, its not right, guests should have travel insurance.

Ria16
Level 10
Northland, New Zealand

A lot of Travel insurance don’t  cover cyclones and hurricanes if they are given a name before you buy your insurance and whilst the airlines do honour your flight and get you,out to your destinations as soon as possible, it would be great if AirBnB offered some kind of insurance to cover this. 

Hi Ria 🙂

In this case there was no cyclone, hurricane or any other abnormal things happening. So normal travel insurance should cover 🙂

@Jeff158 Thank you for your reply!

Yes, they should!

I don't understand why airbnb even mention "extenuating circumstances". It was a normal flight cancellation and my guest didn't cancel the reservation so she shouldn't be able to even make a claim?

 

This is airbnb's rules about "extenuating circumstances" 

 

What might be covered under the Extenuating Circumstances Policy?

Valid circumstances include:

  • Unexpected death or serious illness of a host, guest or immediate family member (spouse/partner, child, parent, legal guardian, grandparent, or sibling)
  • Serious injury that directly restricts a guest’s ability to travel or a host’s ability to host
  • Significant natural disasters or severe weather incidents impacting the location of destination or location of departure
  • Urgent travel restrictions or severe security advisories issued after the time of booking, by an appropriate national or international authority (such as a government office or department)
  • Endemic disease declared by a credible national or international authority (such as the US Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization)
  • Severe property damage or unforeseen maintenance issues that directly impact the ability to host safely
  • Government-mandated obligations issued after the time of booking (ex: jury duty, court appearances, military or government assignments)

If you need to make a claim

Claims can only be considered after a reservation has been canceled. Once you've informed your host or guest and canceled a reservation, if you feel that your reason for cancelation is covered by Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy, contact Airbnb for consideration. We generally require claims to be submitted no later than 14 days from the original check-in date and we may require valid supporting documentation.

 

 

 

 

 

It makes me feel unsafe as a host to realise that I can't really count on the rules made by airbnb themselve. 

 

Kind regards Sandra

Not sure where my first reply went, any of us who have been hosting for some time will have experienced a few of there, essentially the person who answers the telephone has the power to decide what does and does not make an EC and I presume many will fold if givern enough grief, after all the loss to AirBnb is relatively small.

 

Bottom line you can not rely on your cancellation policy being upheld.

David

@Sandra856 how many days was her reservation for?

I would think that if an airline cancelled a flight, and the traveler were truly interested in getting to their destination, they would request to be placed on a different flight.

If a guest has paid an airline to fly to a destination, isn't the normal procedure in the case of a cancelled flight for the airline to place the guest on an alternative flight? The guest may get there later, and have to transfer, but they should eventually get to their destination.

Are the rules different in Europe?

If the airline cancels your specific flight in Europe, do travelers just cancel their whole vacation?

 

Sandra856
Level 10
Copenhagen, Denmark

Hi @Matthew0
Thank you for your reply!
It was a work related trip and she was only supposed to stay 1 night.
I wrote 2 messages to her after she wrote to me that her flight was cancelled. But she didn't answer me back until next day just to tell me that she had contacted both airbnb and the airplane company. She never cancelled the reservation.
I don't know if she made it to Copenhagen but of course normally an airline company if cancelling a flight got to find a solution for that specific customer (also in Europe 🙂 ).

Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

If you did not get a cancelled reservation msg from Air BNB, the trip was not cancelled.  You should receive payment.  Of course the guest may still try  to get a refund and Air BNB may decide this was an extenuating circumstance and give her the refund, deducting it from later bookings.

 

Keep us advised as to how this turns out, @Sandra856

Hi @Linda108 🙂

The thing is I wasn't payed as usual and the guest didn't cancel the reservation. Her arrival day was Monday and normally I get payed the day after.

Yesterday morning I got a message saying "Due to extenuating circumstances from your Guest, your earnings are affected". So basically it means that I have to pay for the cancelled flight.

I did reply to that message but haven't heard anything yet.

Thank you for your input! 🙂

 

@Sandra856

 

Let us know if you get a reply.

David

Hi Sandra; I am looking into this as I ran exactly in the same problem. Guest had flight cancelled

due to airport strikes. Got

contacted 2 hours before flight was due. I encouraged him to contact Airbnb to try

to see if he is eligible

for some kind of refund as he had not done a travel insurance. He did get both flight (refunded by airline) and lodging refunded in full by Airbnb quoting their extenuating circumstances policy. My

payment had already been sent and I was delighted

that Airbnb had protected both guest and host’s interests. Not for too long; as Airbnb deducted the refund amount they had issued to the case in question from my

 next reservation’s payout thus effectively putting

on the host the full financial loss of the whole ordeal. I am very disappointed at this as there is

no way I could have got

those days booked again and no insurance would cover my

 booking while a cancelled flight should be easily covered by a cheap travel insurance. 

@Marius-And-Oana0

 

You encouraged him to obtain a refund? And he got one.

David

😉 haha! have to admit I was too forthcoming in this case. Was trying to help in some way. Definitely got a learning bite out of it all. 

Gonçalo15
Level 2
Lisbon, Portugal

hey guys, 

I'm going exactly through the same issue. Flight cancelled and the guest could've chosen a refund or take the next flight. He chose the refund and contacted airbnb to get a full refund for the reservation. There wasnt a strike neither bad weather.  I couldn't believe that Airbnb took his side and accepted the full refund. 
I've been working with airbnb for 5 years and it seems to me that on these last couple of years Airbnb isnt really being fair to the hosts.  It's not just about the money but more about  how they decide against common sense. 

Do you guys feel any change on how airbnb is dealing with these situations lately or is just me 😉 ?