Criminal charges brought against passenger who received refund for unused ticket using fake documents

Law enforcement agencies have filed criminal charges against passenger E. for fraud under part 1 of article 159 of the ?riminal ?ode.

Mr. E. bought two low-fare non-refundable tickets for an Aeroflot flight on the Moscow-Phuket route. Four days later, the passenger changed his mind and requested a refund. He provided the Aeroflot cash desk with a disability certificate and received a full refund. Later it turned out that the certificate was fake. The airline’s financial security service discovered this and asked law enforcement agencies to investigate.

The sale of airline tickets at affordable non-refundable fares was introduced in Russia in April 2014. Aeroflot supported appropriate amendments to the Air Code, which were then written into Federal Law No. 79 from 20.04.2014. The law provides several grounds on which a non-refundable fare ticket can be reimbursed. Such cases include involuntary refusal to travel due to illness of the passenger or of a family member or a close relative with whom the passenger is travelling.

Vladimir Alexandrov, Deputy CEO for Legal and Property Matters of PJSC Aeroflot, noted: “Our company actively advocated the introduction of non-refundable fares in the interests of our passengers – we wanted to make air travel more affordable. We will not allow fraudsters to discredit those provisions of the Air Code that give passengers the opportunity to enjoy more budget-friendly travel. In every case similar to this one Aeroflot will take all necessary measures to protect its interests, including appealing to the law enforcement agencies.”

Aeroflot regularly proposes changes to legislation to serve the interests of the state, the public and the aviation industry. The law on non-refundable fares has become a legislative landmark, not only putting Russian carriers on an equal footing with foreign competitors, but also ensuring the availability of cheaper air travel. Aeroflot has also supported the introduction of laws allowing Russian airlines to employ foreign pilots and blacklist unruly passengers.