11/08/2019 16:53

The echo of the Italian fault

[IMG=18322-3881] ‘Mondo tours’ company intends to get a disclaimer stating that 200 tourists stuck in Italy last weekend were not its clients. A long flight delay of ‘Krasair’ was discovered on the 14th of November, from radio ‘Echo of Moscow’ who covered the situation based on the words of a tourist’ relative. In the message published by RBK it was said that because of the problem with the carrier people stay in Rimini airport without food or water. ‘There was only 16 of our tourists but now all claims will be forwarded to us’, - explains Lubov Chistyakova, managing director of the travel firm. ‘We sent letters to the media with the request to disprove the information’. The radio station referred to the fact that it does not hold responsibility for someone else’s words, while RBK news published a detailed message. Yet ‘Mondo tours’ insists on a direct apology to the company. Otherwise it intends to take the case to the court. “Yujel and Co” who booked the flight is also considering requesting an apology. As Evgenia Zakharova, general director of the company told BANKO, the unfortunate flight should have been taken off on the 12th of November, but because of the bad weather conditions Rimini airport didn’t receive planes. In the end, Tu-204 of ‘Krasair’ made a stop in Bologna but during a pre-flight inspection malfunction with one of the liner’s engines was discovered. Tourists were taken back to Rimini, accommodated in 3*super or 4*hotels as well as provided with necessary transfers and provision. All this time operator’s representatives were around. ‘We have done everything that was required, as well as provided an opportunity for people to have a supper in the airport before the flight’ – underlined Evgenia Zakharova. The reserve plane Tu-154M flew from Rimini airport on the 12th of November at 1:33 MSK and landed in Domodeodvo airport in Moscow early in the morning (4:26MSK). As ‘Krasair’ representatives confirmed, it took aviation authorities in Italy a long time to decide to accept the reserve plane from Moscow, explaining their procrastination by the absence of a specialist over the weekend. ‘The Tu-204 is still in Bologna waiting for parts, the time of its return is still unknown but it did not affect the flight schedule of the carrier’, says Olga Byikova, PR-manager of ‘Airunion’ alliance, of which Krasnoyarsk Air is a member. It is not the first case when an operator working in the Italian destination believes that it has been victimized by the press. In September a similar situation happened with ‘Ital travel’ which was ready to take the resulting case to court (see news as of 14.09 and 15.09). Yet Nelly Ionkina, the head of ‘Ital travel’ believed that it is the emergency measure: ‘the process will take at least a year, it is better to hold a special press conference and take the topic to a wide public discussion’. The conflict of ‘Ital travel’ and the ‘1st channel’ was solved peacefully. A pre-arbitrazh letter was sent to the television company. Then there was a meeting with the chef-editor of the program. She offered us to present our point of view in the program following the previous. The broadcast is planned for December’ said Ms. Ionkina.