Vim avia what to do with vouchers. What should VIM-Avia passengers do? Information support center of the airline vim-avia
Since September 22, the VIM-Avia company has delayed more than 20 flights. In June, the air carrier already disrupted the charter program, then 220 thousand people were transferred to flights of other carriers.
VIM-Avia has completely stopped its charter flights. This is stated in the message of the Federal Air Transport Agency.
The current legislation in terms of transportation provides guarantees for the protection of passengers' rights in such cases as cancellation, delay of the flight indicated on the ticket, change of the type of aircraft, change of the route of transportation, if it is required by the conditions of flight safety and / or aviation security, as well as at the request of state bodies in accordance with their competence.
In case of refusal to fulfill obligations for carriage, the passenger has the right to refuse the carrier's services and return the money for the ticket in full, or wait for the carrier to fulfill its obligations. In the latter case, the carrier is obliged to ensure the maximum comfort of waiting, namely:
What the carrier must do
1 | provide a seat in the mother and child room for a passenger with a child under the age of seven;
2 | guarantee two phone calls or two e-mail messages when waiting for the departure of the flight for more than two hours;
3 | provide soft drinks when waiting for the departure of the flight for more than two hours;
4 | provide hot meals when waiting for the departure of the flight for more than four hours and then every six hours - in the daytime and every eight hours - at night;
5 | to be accommodated in a hotel while waiting for the departure of the flight for more than eight hours - in the daytime and more than six hours - at night;
6 | deliver by transport from the airport to the hotel and back in cases where the hotel is provided free of charge;
7 | arrange luggage storage.
The air carrier must provide these services without charging any additional fee.
If the flight is canceled on the initiative of the carrier and it is impossible to carry out the carriage of the passenger in the future, the latter must return the money paid for the ticket.
At the same time, in practice, the most problematic is the issue of the real return of funds to the passenger. Some airlines quite often hide behind a long examination of the validity of a passenger's application for a refund, or refuse a refund for formal reasons, which gives rise to the need to appeal to the judicial authorities for the protection of their rights. The most reliable way to avoid such a situation is the passenger's caution: it is worth checking the information about the company at the stage of buying tickets - how solvent it is, what reviews there are about it, whether it appears in the electronic filing cabinets of ships.
VIM-Avia was on the verge of bankruptcy. A large Russian airline has delayed about 12% of its flights since the beginning of the year. Moreover, massive and long delays in departure of flights began in the summer, but the carrier explained this by the "late arrival" of aircraft from maintenance. The violations reached such a scale that the Ministry of Transport, Federal Air Transport Agency, the General Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee intervened in the case. The latter opened a criminal case under the article "Fraud".
According to the Association of Tour Operators of the Russian Federation, the suspension of VIM-Avia charter programs may affect up to 100 thousand tourists, including those who are waiting for the aircraft to return home.
What's going on with VIM-Avia
Delays of flights of the VIM-Avia company began in the summer, but they were not so large-scale. Mass transfer of flights began on 22 September... Already on the 23rd, the situation worsened: more than a dozen flights could not take off from Domodedovo on time. The VIM-Avia press service explained the problem with the traditional seasonal factor.
From the message of the VIM-Avia press service:
However, the Federal Air Transport Agency said that long delays in the airline's flights from Domodedovo airport are associated with its "unresolved" debt to refueling organizations. The Ministry of Transport also said that the situation is not quite normal.
In the evening On September 23, on behalf of the head of the ICR, Alexander Bastrykin, a pre-investigation check began on the fact of violation of the rights of passengers. On September 24, the Vedomosti newspaper reported that the airline had applied to the government for state support, while the Tatarstan government would provide assistance to the carrier. However, the representative of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan told RBC that it was not planned to help the carrier.
According to Vedomosti, Domodedovo airport refused to service the company on a loan (RUB 500 million), which caused delays and cancellations of flights.
On September 25, it became known that the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia made a submission to the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko in connection with the delays of VIM-Avia flights and the delay in salaries of the airline's employees.
On the evening of September 25, the Investigative Committee of Russia announced the initiation of a criminal case under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Fraud on an especially large scale") on the fact of embezzlement of passengers' funds by officials of the airline "VIM-Avia".
Press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia:
From the evening of September 25 VIM-Avia has completely stopped its charter flights... On its VKontakte page, the airline published a message that it “cannot operate flights without additional funding” and plans to “introduce an external anti-crisis management”. There is no such message on the VIM-Avia official website.
From the message of the airline "VIM-Avia":
The scale of the disaster
The company "VIM-Avia", according to the Federal Air Transport Agency, according to the results of the first half of 2017 ranked tenth in terms of passenger traffic... The main activity of the airline, based in Domodedovo, is made up of regular and charter passenger flights from Moscow and regional airports. In 2016, the airline carried 2 million passengers.
According to the General Prosecutor's Office, in January-August 2017, VIM-Avia delayed about 1,020 flights by more than two hours, and another 209 flights by more than six hours.
The Russian Union of Travel Industry said that now from the resorts it is necessary to take out from 50 thousand to 100 thousand passengers "VIM-Avia", in total, the airline has obligations to more than 190 thousand passengers. However, fulfilling them is rather problematic.
Irina Tyurina, press secretary of the PCT:
Now there are no free boards on the market, or rather, there are very few of them. If they held out until the end of September, the sides could be looked for. Tour operators now in this situation will have to urgently decide what to do with tourists. The main thing is to take the tourists out, because the tour there can be canceled, but, of course, the tour operators will be forced to return the money.
ATOR states that all flights can cost at least $ 10 million.
Rostourism today created an operational headquarters in connection with the termination of the airline "VIM-Avia" of the implementation of programs of charter flights. Now the agency, together with tour operators, is compiling a list of tourists who need help returning home.
The decision on the fate of the airline itself will be made before the end of the week, writes RNS with reference to the Federal Air Transport Agency. Now the department is considering several options, including the introduction of anti-crisis management and the removal of management from control over economic activity. Work continues with VIM-Avia creditors.
What to do for tourists
As the head of the Ural Tourism Association Mikhail Maltsev told the site, not a very large number of tourists will suffer from problems with VIM-Avia. Basically, these are those who were supposed to fly on vacation from Moscow, and not from Yekaterinburg, or independent tourists.
Mikhail Maltsev, Head of the Ural Tourism Association:
The fact is that the first incident with the airline happened back in June. We had two large tour operators who transported VIM-Avia clients. They turned out to be far-sighted enough, or the circumstances were such that the rest of the program was carried out by these tour operators on other airlines. In this situation, our Urals can only be hurt if they flew through the Moscow air hub.
According to Maltsev, the situation with "VIM-Avia" is a classic case when the Association of Tour Operators "Tourpomosch" is included in the work.
Mikhail Maltsev:
According to the executive director of UAT, if you bought a tour package, then there is no cause for concern: It is up to the tour operator to find you a new carrier. “Those who bought tour packages are fully protected. Tour operators will cope with this problem, - assures Maltsev. “If you took a visit as an ordinary tourist, unorganized, then your fate will be decided depending on how the fate of the airline will develop”.
Despite assurances that everything will be fine, hundreds of tourists cannot fly abroad and return on time.
Instructions on what to do if your flight is delayed
At first, you can cancel the flight and get your money back... Even if your ticket was non-refundable. In the event of a delay due to the fault of the airline, the flight cancellation is considered forced, therefore the carrier is obliged to return the money.
Secondly, you can claim compensation for non-pecuniary damage and damages... The airline's client can file a claim with the carrier for reimbursement of losses incurred due to a flight delay (for example, if a person missed the train and excursions that were paid for in advance were disrupted). The claim must be accompanied by copies of documents that confirm what losses were incurred. You can present it at the airport of both the point of departure and the point of destination. In the case of delayed domestic flights, a claim can be filed within six months from the date of the flight delay.
Thirdly, a fine can be collected from the airline... If the reason was not force majeure, then the carrier is obliged to pay you 25% of the minimum wage (if the minimum wage is 8862 rubles, this is 2215 rubles) for each hour of delay, but not more than 50% of the ticket price.
Fourth, in the event of a flight delay the airline must provide a mother and child room a passenger with a preschooler (up to seven years old). And take care of your luggage: organize its storage in the appropriate chambers. If your flight is delayed more than two hours, you should be given the option to call twice or send two emails. Also, the airline must provide the passenger with soft drinks.
Fifth, if the flight is delayed by four hours you can look forward to lunch or dinner... Then you are provided with hot meals every six hours during the daytime and every eight hours at night. If the flight is delayed by six hours at night and eight hours during the day you are entitled to a hotel... Representatives of the airline should also take you to and from the hotel.
Remember that in order to receive all these "free benefits" you must contact the airline representatives yourself. Go to the check-in counter and get a certificate indicating the flight delay time or put a special stamp on your ticket. This will document the delay. And most importantly: collect receipts for all these services.
After that, write a statement to the airline with a request to reimburse all costs. All receipts, a flight delay certificate and a ticket must be attached to the application. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to defend your rights in court. However, given that the financial situation of VIM-Avia is “rather deplorable,” it will be difficult to obtain a refund, even if the passenger wins the trial.
The termination of charter flights by VIM-Avia and the threat of its imminent bankruptcy were left with tickets in hand and feeling. About 45 thousand of them (according to ATOR) are tourists who are in foreign countries and have practically no chance of returning home by aircraft of this airline.
Some of them are already at the airports, awaiting the promised departures, and some have yet to find themselves in a similar position as the rest ends and the time of departure for home approaches.
"Ridus", whose journalists had to find themselves in a similar situation, including with children in their arms and absolutely no money, prepared a number of tips and recommendations that can help the current victims of "VIM-Avia", as well as all other passengers who find themselves in a similar situation ...
We were assisted in preparing recommendations d Director of the National Association for the Development of Tourism Karen Goncharov, Director of the Association in the field of outbound tourism "Tourpomosch" Alexander Osaulenko, as well as representatives of travel companies.
In this article we will analyze all the typical situations and questions that VIM-Avia passengers have already encountered or will inevitably face in the near future.
I arrived at the airport to fly home from my vacation, where I learned that my VIM-Avia airline is delaying my flight for an indefinite time, what should I do?
According to the current rules, in the event of a flight delay, the carrier is obliged to provide passengers with water and food, and, if necessary, overnight at a hotel.
Unfortunately, in this situation you can forget about it.
Representatives of VIM-Avia are now concerned about their own fate much more than the fate of their passengers, and almost certainly already former ones, ”explains Karen Goncharov. - They themselves should receive the calculation from the employer.
From this we can conclude that it makes no sense to turn to the airline for anything in this situation. It is very likely that VIM-Avia is awaiting bankruptcy proceedings, and this indirectly indicates that it no longer has money for food and hotels, or planes to take out passengers.
However, this is not at all a reason for despair. It is necessary to contact the representatives of the tour operator with whom the tourist entered into an agreement, since the circumstances that have arisen are not the passenger's problem, but the operator's, and it is up to him to decide how to return his clients home.
If a person bought a package tour, then all the obligations of the airline are "drowned" in the agreement with the tour operator, explains Karen Goncharov.
Indeed, the incident with "VIM-Avia" is far from the first, and, as practice shows, tour operators, with or without outside help, have always been able to return home all the "stuck" tourists.
Thus, the clients of operators whose tour packages include VIM-Avia as the carrier, it should be understood that they'll get home anyway... The only problem is that waiting "Evacuation" can drag on for a period from several hours to several days.
Should I buy return tickets myself?
There is no unequivocal answer to this question, because it entirely depends on the specific situation of a particular person. If we are talking about a passenger who has bought not a tour package, but only air tickets, then buying a new return ticket will be the only reasonable way out for him.
You will have to buy tickets yourself even if the passenger does not have time to wait until the operator finds the opportunity to send him home on another flight or another airline.
If you have money to buy a return ticket right on the spot and if you need to return home urgently and you cannot afford to hang around at the departure point for several days, buy new tickets, says Karen Goncharov. - But you should be aware that you will have to demand a refund for them only through the court - because your agreement with the airline or with the tour operator, most likely, is not provided for such an opportunity. And their representatives will prove in court that they were ready to take you out, albeit with a delay, and that this is purely your problem, that you turned out to be so impatient.
Is it worth extending the time of stay in the hotel while waiting for the "evacuation"?
This can be a perfectly reasonable decision, especially if passengers are flying with small children. However, here you must be aware that from now on, staying at the hotel is not a rest, but an urgent need, which needs to be decided only after it becomes completely clear as to when exactly the return flight will take place.
Otherwise, the passenger runs the risk of being late on board, unexpectedly "obtained" by the tour operator for their clients. There is only one advice in this situation: keep in touch with your operator.
What if the return flight on the VIM-Avia flight is still due in a few days?
The answer to the question is the same as in the first case. If you already know that the airline is in big trouble, you should as soon as possible contact your tour operator, who is probably already looking for ways to "evacuate" you. It is pointless to hope that the air carrier's business will suddenly improve and everything will return to normal. The chances of such a decision are minimal.
Contacting a tour operator ensures that you at least do not get lost and do not "fall out of the process" in the general confusion. If the operator offers you a guaranteed departure on another flight before the end of your vacation, there is no point in refusing. The next "window of opportunity" may open much later than this date.
If you bought the ticket yourself, without the participation of the tour operator, you should start buying a new ticket as early as possible.
Is it possible to return a return ticket "VIM-Avia" for money?
The unequivocal answer is no.
It should be understood that it will not be possible to return the airline's existing tickets “in an amicable way”, even if they were purchased at a refundable rate, ”says Karen Goncharov. - It is generally better not to talk about irrecoverable ones. It is now possible to demand money back from VIM-Avia exclusively through the courts. But here, too, one must clearly understand whether the game is worth the candle.
Well, how much does an air ticket cost - let the maximum be 400 euros. But you, as a client of a bankrupt company by law, are the last in the line of its creditors. Before you, the company will be obliged to pay off debts to employees, shareholders, to the state, etc. Your turn may simply not reach you, if only because the entire property of VIM-Avia may not be enough to pay off even the first priority creditors ...
What to do if the flight "VIM-Avia" is yet to take off for rest?
If the ticket is included in the tour package, it is necessary urgently contact your tour operator... In this case, he will be obliged to either return the money for the entire package, or offer an alternative delivery option to the holiday destination.
If you buy a ticket from an airline, it is advisable think about purchasing a new one from another carrier... It is unlikely that it will be possible to fly away with the existing travel document.
The possibilities for claiming compensation from the airline will be discussed below.
Can VIM-Avia passengers rely on assistance from the Turpomosch association?
Most likely no.
Unfortunately, we do not have any special funds for such cases, - Alexander Osaulenko, director of the outbound tourism association “Tourpomosch”, explained to Ridus. - The Federal Air Transport Agency has such a fund. This year 80 million rubles have been allocated to this fund. We, according to the law, can only spend our funds in the event of bankruptcy of the tour operator. The airline in this case is a third party, according to the Civil Code. According to the Civil Code, in such situations, both parties, that is, the tour operator and the tourist, bear equal responsibility for the risks associated with relations with a third party. Unfortunately, almost none of the people who buy tickets are aware of these subtleties, and tour operators almost never tell their clients about these details.
Is it possible to count on compensation for the costs incurred by passengers in connection with the situation with VIM-Avia?
Theoretically possible, but only through court... To do this, it is necessary to collect documentary evidence of all expenses incurred, be it new tickets, payment for a hotel, purchase of food, etc. Claims can be filed against the tour operator or the airline (for those who purchased tickets themselves).
However, the likelihood of their complete satisfaction is minimal. The tour operator will insist in court that he did everything possible (most likely, he really did it) in order to solve the problems of his clients in a situation of force majeure. We have already spoken about the possibility of getting something from an airline.
In the dry residue
There are two main options for behavior in this situation:
- contact your tour operator as soon as possible if VIM-Avia tickets were purchased as part of a single tour package;
- buy new return tickets yourself(and as soon as possible) if the tickets were purchased directly from the carrier;
That the prospects for resolving the issue under the first scenario today are quite favorable, "Ridus" was confirmed by the representative of the travel company TUI Russia & CIS Tatiana Kruglova.
We have about 500 people now in Turkey and a small number in Italy, she explained. “Moreover, some of them will not finish their tour tomorrow, so we are routinely looking for a replacement carrier for them if VIM-Avia does not resume work. And those tourists who are supposed to take off today, we put on the planes of other carriers, where there are free seats.
For the same part of our clients who are still in Moscow, we offer a choice of three options. Either reschedule the departure date so that we can change the airline, or fly right now to some other “beach” place that is served by other carriers, for example, Cyprus. Or, if both options do not suit the person, we are ready to return the money for the tour in full.
What awaits VIM-Avia passengers
On September 26, the Federal Air Transport Agency held an emergency meeting dedicated to the problem. According to the department, “a decision was agreed on the allocation of about 200 million rubles. from the federal budget next year to compensate for the costs of airlines that will carry passengers on domestic regular routes. "
At the meeting, seven airlines expressed their readiness to transport passengers using VIM-Avia tickets - these are Ural Airlines, IFly, Red Wings, NordStar, Ikar, North Wind and Yakutia.
On September 28, the Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov said that the main task now is to export from abroad those VIM-Avia clients whose vacation has come to an end. The second on the list of priorities, he named the implementation of regular flights on domestic and international lines. Then, according to Sokolov, you can start operating charter flights, tickets for which have been sold, but the departure date has not yet come. "The last point of this plan is possible only after the above tasks are completed," he said.
What awaits company leaders
On September 25, the Investigative Committee opened a case against unnamed VIM-Avia officials under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of Russia (fraud committed by an organized group or on an especially large scale), which were suspected of receiving 1 million rubles. by selling tickets, knowing in advance that there will not be enough money to fulfill transportation obligations.
Alexander Kochnev (Photo: Tatiana Belyakova / TASS)
In the evening of September 27, on the instructions of the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, the case was redirected to the main department of the Investigative Committee for the investigation of especially important cases. At the same time it became known that the owners of VIM-Avia Rashid Mursekaev and his wife Svetlana had left Russia. According to the source of RBC, they are in Istanbul.
On September 28, information appeared that Mursekaev was charged in absentia under the same Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the maximum punishment for which is imprisonment for up to ten years. “In the event that Mursekaev does not appear for interrogation by the investigator, he will be put on the federal wanted list, and then on the international one,” a source in the ICR told RBC.
On the same day, the Investigative Committee on the arrest of the general director of the airline Alexander Kochnev and its chief accountant Yekaterina Panteleeva.
The Russian airline "Vim-Avia" had regular disruptions in the schedule over the weekend. The company attributes this to a lack of funding. Let's take a look at what actually happens with flights and what to do for travelers who have already bought tickets. The airline "VIM-Avia" sold air tickets, knowing that it was impossible to fly on the dates indicated in the tickets.
What happened?
The airline's flights, which were supposed to take off this weekend, to Domodedovo for an indefinite period of time. Massive and long delays in departure were also in the summer - then the airline said that all this was due to the late arrival of aircraft from maintenance.
Why is it so serious this time?
Now Domodedovo airport refuses to refuel the airline's planes on credit. And in connection with the scale of the delays, the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency, as well as the prosecutor's office and the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee on transport. The carrier turned to the authorities for help, and the ministry, in turn, has already begun to prepare for a possible collapse of the airline.
What should passengers do?
The airline "Vim-Avia" serves primarily charter flights, and it is they that are completely terminated. The state monitors the implementation of regular flights to the Far East, and negotiations are already underway to replace the carrier on these routes.
