SkyEurope LCC Folds, Strands Thousands of Passengers Around Europe

September 1, 2009 at 9:35 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

There will be no more SkyEurope in the sky...um, over Europe, as the low-cost airline based out of Slovakia ceased operations this morning thanks to bankruptcy. As a result, its five planes (down from 15 in the past) had their flights cancelled, stranding passengers at airports like Bratislava, Prague, and Paris-Orly.

Not only has the deep-sixed airline left their customers in the lurch, but they've also pulled a jerk move in refusing to refund any of the tickets. Instead, they posted a statement to their website encouraging would-be SkyEurope passengers to dispute the ticket charge with their credit cards and then book a flight home on another airline, at additional expense. Them's fighting words!

There is at least one up-side to this horrible situation, and that is how Europe is full of other LCC airlines, and already Ryanair is stepping up to offer stranded passengers a special 25 Euro Rescue fare, including fees and taxes one-way. It is only valid on flight to/from Bratislava and Alicante, Barcelona-Girona, Brussels-Charleroi, Rome-Ciampino, Liverpool, and London-Stansted. The rescue fare must be booked here and applies only to SkyEurope passengers who can quote their booking reference number.

Ryanair even uses this occasion to make a jab at SkyEurope and other shaky competition: "[Ryanair] advised passengers that the best way to ensure travel plans are protected is to travel only with financially secure airlines such as Ryanair." We sure won't be hearing the end of this anytime soon. Our thoughts are with the thousands of panicking passengers on the other side of the ocean today; it's never nice to hear about the failure of an airline.

Related Stories:
· RyanAir SkyEurope Rescue Fare [Ryanair]
· SkyEurope Suspends Operations [SkyEurope]
· SkyEurope, a Low-Cost Airline, Halts Operations [NYT]
· Airline Hell [Jaunted]

[Photo: slasher-fun]

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Tags: Airline Hell / Airline Bankruptcy / SkyEurope / LCCs / Airline News / → All Tags