I am sharing this experience to warn other travelers.
A passenger was denied boarding on an Air Europa flight from Caracas to Madrid and onward to Vienna, despite having valid travel documents and a confirmed trip.
The reason was extremely concerning: her hotel booking, made via Booking.com (a well-established international platform), could not be confirmed by phone at that exact moment. Airport staff attempted to call the hotel in Vienna and, because no one answered, treated the booking as suspicious.
Since when is a passenger required to confirm a hotel booking by phone in order to travel?
She was treated as if she had done something wrong and was effectively placed under suspicion simply for using an international platform instead of a local agency. The situation escalated to a level that felt discriminatory and unjustified.
She was then given an ultimatum by ground staff: either the hotel must be reached immediately or she had to “solve the problem within 10 minutes,” otherwise she would lose her flight.
Under this time and financial pressure, she was forced to book a new hotel at the airport through a local agency at a significantly higher price.
Even after complying, she was still denied boarding.
No rebooking. No assistance. No support.
She returned the next day, as instructed, to speak with a manager. Instead of resolving the situation, she was told it was her own fault and that her money was lost.
What is even more concerning is what happened afterwards:
The airline has refused to provide any meaningful resolution and continues to rely on the same excuse — claiming that no booking can be found in their system under the passenger’s name — despite being provided with full details such as name, route, and travel dates.
Avoiding responsibility in this way, instead of properly investigating what happened, is unacceptable.
Passengers should not be treated like this.
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