Travel agencies demand solution for Transavia cancelations in high season

Travel organizations want to know how the problems at Transavia can be prevented in the future. Looking for alternatives due to flight changes and last-minute cancellations at the airline is turning into a full-time job, said the travel industry association ANVR.

The ANVR said the “pot is starting to get pretty full” at travel agencies affected by Transavia's disruptions. Last week, the airline had to cancel flights again due to technical problems with aircraft. “You have to reassure the customer, and you have to look for an alternative,” a spokesperson for the industry association summed up. Our members are like: in the middle of the high season, really? When will it stop?”

The travel organizations are in talks with Transavia, but “now it’s a matter of looking for solutions and making the best of what you have,” said the spokesperson. “And after the summer, we will lick our wounds and see how things can be done differently in the future so that we can prevent it. That is the key question we have now.”

It is striking how many flights the holiday airline cancels at the last minute, said the ANVR. Holidaymakers are sometimes already at the airport when they are told that their flight has been canceled. Travel organizations cannot anticipate this, the spokesperson said. “That is really exceptional, and this year, more than in previous years.”

In total, it concerns a small percentage of the flights that are canceled, the spokesperson said. Transavia, which flies to many different destinations, is also a large airline that is popular with travel organizations to book. “If it goes well, which it does in most cases, let me stress that, then the customer is very satisfied, and so is the travel organization.”

But trust needs to be restored, she added. “You make an appointment, you book a flight, and then you assume that everything will be fine. Our members now think: I need to regain that trust in Transavia and the offer.”

“We really find it very annoying when we cannot operate a flight. That affects the passenger, the tour operator, but also our own people,” Transavia responded. According to the airline, it is working on the schedule for next year. “In that, given the developments in the sector, we will continue to emphasize having a stable operation. This is also what passengers and our tour operators expect from us.”