Air Berlin has declared bankruptcy. While normally this means that the airline keeps flying while restructuring this one does have some twists. The German government has given them a cash infusion that should last about 3 months..... and then who knows? Luftanasa is looking at purchasing assets etc...
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23267 posts
That is why you buy insurance.
Posted by
OP
Atlanta, GA, USA
2745 posts
They are actually still selling tickets. If you buy a ticket after today's announcement most insurance would not cover you should they now quit flying.
Posted by
Houston
3518 posts
Bummer. I always enjoyed flying with them.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
That is why you buy insurance
Be sure to read the fine print. Back in January I was comparing competing policies and quite a few already had exclusions for AB and some other at risk airlines.
Posted by
New York, NY
3996 posts
The German government has given Air Berlin €150 million loan to see the company into the end of November. So no need to panic...unless you're flying in November or later.
Etihad already lost over a billion from lending money to Alitalia in 2014; they owned 49% of Alitalia. Hence they pulled the plug on Air Berlin so as not to continue the bleeding. Alitalia filed for bankruptcy in May and their passengers weren't left hanging as the Italian government loaned the airline €600 million. They had previously filed 9 years ago.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10188 posts
Off the subject but glad to see Alitalia has been bailed out for now. We're traveling with a French organization Orly-Palermo-Orly on Alitalia in three weeks and have been waiting for word. Thanks for the useful info! Now we only have to avoid the political demonstration that has been announced for the day we fly out. C'est la vie.
Posted by
San Francisco
14507 posts
In June there was a headline in a Berlin newspaper that stated the Berlin Senate voted not to give Air Berlin financial assistance
Posted by
New York, NY
3996 posts
That was then; this is now. The German taxpayers are loaning Air Berlin €150 million to keep the airline operating through November.
In today's news, Ryanair filed a complaint to EU "competition authorities" that the German gov't loan is a staged "conspiracy" of government intervention to prop up an airline until Air Berlin finds a new owner.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
The €150 million haven't been paid yet. Ryanair and Germania, among others, are trying to stop this government-bail-out scheme legally. The German government is trying to keep everybody quiet until after the election. At the moment you have no guarantee your tickets will be worth a dime come September 25th. German lawyers recommend to either rebook and use up ASAP, cancel (you are entitled to a full refund of all the taxes, which usually are at least 50% of the ticket price - even if the ticket itself is non-refundable) or at least to rebook on other oneworld partner airlines.