Bordeaux is the closest Norwegian destination to the fires raging in southern Europe. The airline is not seeing an increase in cancellations compared with previous years.
"However, our customer service receives some inquiries from travellers wondering if the airport is operational, which it is. We are following the situation closely and are continuously monitoring updates from the authorities," writes Catharina Solli in an email response.
“Contacted for advice”
Nor have the travel companies that TT has been in contact with noticed customers cancelling trips due to the fires in France and Spain.
Some want advice about their travel destination and want to make sure it is not in the fire-affected areas, says Louise Jellvi, press officer at the travel agency Ticket.
Ticket has seen increased travel to France and Spain in the past week compared with last year.
During the period July 21-27 this year, the number of booked travellers to Spain increased by 29 percent compared with the same period last year, and to France we see an increase of 22 percent.
Apollo has not noticed that its customers wanted to cancel or change their trips, but it also has no trips in the areas directly affected, according to press officer Martina Krantz.
Travel expert Lottie Knutson says this may be because most summer trips are already booked and because cancellations are welcome.
Travel habits can also last a long time. Everyone knows that fires occur in southern Europe, although they are unusually frightening this year.
French Minister: Don't cancel
An example of when travel habits have changed is in connection with the war in the Middle East, which has made it difficult to attract tourists, says Lottie Knutson. Travel to the US has also been affected by people's feelings about President Donald Trump.
If the fires continue on this scale, it will have consequences for travel, she believes.
More people will probably avoid southern Europe during the warmest months. We will also book closer to departure time and choose rebookable tickets to a greater extent.
French Trade and Tourism Minister Serge Papin has said he has high hopes of opening the evacuated areas by August, where the fire has not caused any damage.
On Tuesday, he urged tourists not to "automatically" cancel their stays in the fire-stricken areas to the French television channel TF1.
There is no statutory right of withdrawal for air travel, but the airlines' own terms and conditions apply. However, it is always possible to cancel a flight. In this case, you can get a refund of certain fees that the airline did not pay because the trip was cancelled, and flight taxes.
The Package Travel Act protects travellers against changes that the organiser of a trip makes before or during the trip. The Package Travel Act applies when it concerns a linked travel arrangement or a package trip.
A package tour can be cancelled and refunded without the organiser charging a cancellation fee in the event of extraordinary events at the destination, for example, in the event of a war or a large-scale forest fire.
Source: Swedish Consumer Agency.
