FlyOne airline canceled its scheduled Yerevan-Chisinau flight for September 20, leaving passengers in the lurch. One of the travelers, who had purchased a ticket with a stopover via Ervean on the St. Petersburg – Chisinau route, encountered problems reimbursing the ticket cost. After three days of correspondence with the company, it agreed to refund only the money for the canceled Yerevan-Chisinau segment. FlyOne promised to return the money within 30 days, even though the ticket had been purchased as a single ticket from St. Petersburg to Chisinau. The passenger had to buy alternative tickets via Istanbul, losing almost €300.
In its response, FlyOne invoked force majeure, stating: “Please be informed that the decision to reduce flights from Yerevan to Chisinau is a decision of the Moldovan government, and the airline cannot be held responsible for these force majeure circumstances. In this case, you can only request a refund for the canceled segment.”
The situation has raised questions about ticketing policy and airline liability, leaving passengers wondering whether it is fair to charge high fares without providing adequate insurance in case of canceled flights.
FOR THE MOSTÂ IMPORTANT NEWS, FOLLOW US ONÂ TWITTER!
Vladimir Cebotari, a close associate of Democratic Party leader Vlad Plahotniuc, founded FlyOne in 2015 while serving as justice minister. The company grew rapidly, with the minister’s wife, Maria Cebotari, who owned 40% of the shares among the founders. The minister’s sister, Mariana Tabuica, a former financial director at IS Moldatsa, was appointed administrator.