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UAE: App offers free air tickets if your flight is cancelled, delayed

Dubai - If the flight is cancelled or delayed by more than three hours, passengers won't have to pay at all.

What if you have to pay only after your flight has landed at the airport? And if your flight is delayed, you'll get compensation? It may sound too good to be true — but a new app in the UAE makes it possible.

The app, called Colibra, allows UAE residents to book air tickets and pay only if their flight arrives on time. It guarantees travellers that if the flight is cancelled or delayed for more than three hours, they do not have to pay for their plane tickets at all.

The service is entirely free for users of the app, allowing them to book tickets within 30 days before departure (and arrival) and then pay the regular ticket fare if their flight arrives on time or within three hours of its scheduled departure.

Colibra aims to spare its users the hassle of claiming compensations and refunds from airlines at a time when cancellations have become more common because of the Covid situation around the globe.

The app is currently available on both Google Play and App Stores, now clocking over 100,000 downloads, 40,000 active users and 50,000 trips registered.

Residents can secure compensation for any journey that is cancelled or delayed by more than one hour by simply logging their flight details into the app before take-off. The payout shall apply no matter the reason for the disruption.

“Over the last few years, the UAE has been dominating the aviation and tourism industry, creating a world-class destination and leading travel hub in just a few decades. Moreover, in the current climate, the UAE aviation industry has worked hard to sustain its reputation, with its major carrier already operating 85 per cent of its pre-Covid network, continuing to fly to 120 destinations. With that said and with the current pandemic causing more and more travellers to postpone or delay travel, we couldn't think of a better ecosystem to launch our service,” said Kalojan Georgiev, CEO and co-founder of Colibra.

“Why pay in advance? Savvy travellers will not need to risk cash-advance for a ticket, they just need to download the app, book a flight, reach the airport, and if the flight arrives on time and the experience went well, only then would you be charged,” said Georgiev.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com