The EU isn't quite there yet, see the issues with refund processing times during covid for an example. I heard some official talking about how airlines shouldn't be allowed to charge you until you step on the plane, which sounds like a brilliant solution to me.

Don't have to fight the airline for compensation for a flight that was cancelled if the airline doesn't have your money yet.

Yeah that’s true. But I would like to think that covid was a special case, because otherwise I got my refunds within 2 weeks.

There might be a trick you can use with a pay later service like Klarna. For like a 10 euro fee, you have 3 months to pay the invoice. If you fly within 3 months, you can pay after you fly, or if the flight is cancelled, then the invoice will be cancelled. So your money stays with you at all times.

One issue though is that 3 months could be short considering the processing time if the flight is cancelled.

> I heard some official talking about how airlines shouldn't be allowed to charge you until you step on the plane, which sounds like a brilliant solution to me.

This sounds insane until you realize that this is essentially how hotels work. You pay a deposit, and the rest isn't owed until you are physically in the hotel.

> This sounds insane until you realize that this is essentially how hotels work.

Or everything else. Trains, taxis, restaurants, everything.

How many institutions do you know where you can't buy a ticket at the door, and instead have to prepay?

Hotels do tend to have a cancelation policy though (which is increasingly a day or two in advance rather than 6pm day of even for for not-charged-in-advance flexible reservations). You pay in advance for tons of other services (concerts, plays, etc.) and they're often non-refundable. Trains and transit also pay in advance in my experience. The main difference with planes is that, while you can pay for a ticket at the airport, it will be expensive, there's a decent chance they won't have a seat, and you'll get the worst seat choice.

Yes, there are a few services you post-pay like restaurants and taxis but you probably don't want to make a practice of running out on your bill.

Rental cars are something of an outlier in that, in the US, you can mostly book with major brands and just not show up with no penalty.

It's not about prepay VS postpay, though. It's about whether you HAVE to prebuy or whether you can pay at the door. Planes don't have the option to just show up and buy a ticket.

>Planes don't have the option to just show up and buy a ticket.

Sure they do. Maybe not literally at the door because you have to go through security first. But they'll sell you one at the ticket counter if there are seats available.

Will they really? As far as I know, they stopped doing that years ago, but I might be wrong.

I've seen people buy tickets at the airport with cash before same day flight this year. I came to the airport and changed my ticket to depart on that day once.

They'll still do it but most planes are oversold already to increase utilization, some of the airline's high rewards levels allow you to force your way onto planes too.

> Hotels do tend to have a cancelation policy though (which is increasingly a day or two in advance

Right, that's what the deposit is for, and that's how airlines would presumably do that.

It only works in theory and with good airlines.

4 months and still waiting for my Lufthansa refund (4000 eur) and no sign of compensation...

They ignore till you take it to the court.

Next time pay with credit card and do a chargeback. That'll get the ball rolling.

The US has solid flyer protections. The fact this article is about airlines being fined for ignoring the law shows that they're doing their job.