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Airports all over Europe have been shut down many times this year, due to volcanic ash in the air, airline strikes, and much more. Thousands of flights have been cancelled and holidays have been put on hold. It is predicted that more volcanic eruptions could occur in the near future and travellers should be prepared for the risk of more flight shut-downs.

What should you do if you are the owner of a property in Bulgaria and your guests are prevented from arriving due to an airport closure or flight cancellation?

This is a difficult situation, because no one is at fault but no one wins either. It is not the fault of the guest that they cannot fly to your property in Bulgaria, but it is not your fault either and you will lose out financially on the stay that they have booked. What is the solution to this dilemma?

Using Travel Insurance

If your guests have travel insurance, you might be able to use it to ensure that you both get your money back. If a flight has been cancelled your guest will likely be able to claim back any unused accommodation. Their stay at your property in Bulgaria will be refunded under “travel delay leading to trip abandonment”. Your guests will need to provide evidence to support this claim, such as the information about flight cancellations from the airline website. You can also offer the guest a letter and evidence of their booking with you so that they can also submit that to the insurance company.

In this situation, everyone comes out ahead because you will still get to keep the money and your guest will have their money refunded to them.

Offer a Compromise

If your guest does not have travel insurance, there are a few more options that you can consider. You could offer to re-book them for another date at your property in Bulgaria rather than refunding their money. You could also offer to split the loss 50/50, or refund everything except for the deposit.

You could simply offer them no refund at all, stating that they took the risk when they made the booking. You have every right to do this, but your guests might not be too happy about being charged for a stay that an airline cancellation stopped them from using.

Although this will mean that you come out on top financially, it might also mean that your guest has a poor impression of you when it comes to customer service. If they feel like they have gotten a bad deal in the situation, they will likely complain about you to their friends and never book at your holiday property in Bulgaria again. It can sometimes be better in the long run to offer your customers a compromise that makes them happy, so that they will be more likely to book again with you in the future.

No matter what you do, you should always have your cancellation terms laid out clearly in the booking contract for your property in Bulgaria and they should be explained to all clients before they make a booking. This way there is no confusion in this situation and everyone knows what to expect.

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Should you refund your guests if they have booked a stay at your property in Bulgaria and their flight has been cancelled?