The Spanish airline Plus Ultra has suspended the sale of tickets for its routes between Madrid and Lima (Peru) and Madrid and Buenos Aires (Argentina), amid a delicate financial situation that has led the company to initiate negotiations with its creditors and to prepare a reduction in its activity. The decision, known this Friday, November 13, has generated uncertainty among travelers who already have reservations for the coming weeks and who now do not know whether they will be able to make their trips.
According to information published by Vozpópuli and by specialized media in the tourism sector, Plus Ultra intends to suspend both routes soon, although for the moment no definitive date for the cessation of operations has been communicated. The company must first decide what happens with the tickets it has already sold—either by maintaining the scheduled flights, offering alternatives to passengers, or proceeding with the corresponding refunds.
This difference is fundamental for those affected: that an airline stops selling tickets does not mean that all contracted flights have been automatically canceled. Therefore, travelers with reservations for Lima or Buenos Aires must check the specific status of their flight before requesting a refund, buying another ticket, or modifying their plans.
The company has submitted a notice of the opening of negotiations with its creditors, a mechanism prior to a potential bankruptcy that seeks to facilitate its financial restructuring. This procedure in itself does not entail bankruptcy or the immediate cessation of Plus Ultra’s activity, although it does reflect the difficulties the company is facing in maintaining its current operations.
The decision forms part of a plan to concentrate its regular activity on connections with Caracas from Madrid and Tenerife, in addition to boosting charter flights and the rental of aircraft with crew for other companies. The route between Madrid and Bogotá, with an extension to Cartagena de Indias, had already been suspended in June.
What to do if you have a Plus Ultra flight to Lima or Buenos Aires
The first step for affected passengers consists of checking whether their reservation is still valid and whether the flight maintains the date and time initially booked. This inquiry must be made through Plus Ultra’s official website or through the travel agency where the ticket was purchased.
It is advisable to keep the locator, the flight number, the payment receipt, and all the email messages received from the company. It is also recommended to save any communication in which a schedule change, an itinerary modification, or a definitive cancellation is announced.
In the case of Lima, Plus Ultra had already communicated a reduction in frequencies before announcing its current restructuring. From October 13, it stopped operating the Tuesday flights and, from November 7, also the Saturday flights, according to the update published on its website last September 25. For these changes, the airline announced the reassignment of the affected passengers to other frequencies and its communication by email.
Those who have a flight scheduled for the coming dates should pay special attention to the company’s notices. If no cancellation has been confirmed yet, it is not advisable to cancel the reservation voluntarily without first knowing the economic consequences, since the ordinary fare conditions could apply and rights that would exist if it were the airline that canceled the flight could be lost.
Instead, when Plus Ultra formally communicates a cancellation, passengers may avail themselves of the guarantees established by European regulations for the protection of travelers.
Refund or alternative flight: what rights passengers have
The European Regulation 261/2004 establishes that when an airline cancels a flight, it must offer the passenger the possibility of choosing between three alternatives: recovering the ticket amount, traveling to their destination as soon as possible by means of another transport, or accepting a flight on a later date that suits them, subject to seat availability.
If the affected person chooses to get their money back, the refund must be made within seven days. In addition, the traveler is not required to accept a voucher for use in the future: they may demand reimbursement through the means provided for in the regulations.
In the case of those who need to travel to Lima or Buenos Aires anyway, the company must offer an alternative under comparable conditions. This obligation may include flights operated by other airlines, although Plus Ultra has decided to stop selling its own connections to those destinations.
It is important not to buy, on your own account, a new ticket without first having requested an alternative means of transport from the company. If the airline fails to comply with this obligation and the passenger has to purchase another flight, they must keep the invoices, the communications, and the boarding passes in order to be able to subsequently claim the corresponding expenses.
The regulations also provide for the right to receive assistance when a cancellation forces you to wait for alternative transport. This includes food and drink, accommodation when it is necessary to stay overnight, and travel between the airport and the hotel. If the company does not provide that attention, travelers must keep the supporting documents for the reasonable expenses they have had to assume.
Can you claim up to 600 euros for the cancellation?
In addition to reimbursement or rebooking, affected passengers could be entitled to financial compensation of up to 600 euros, although this compensation is not granted automatically in all cancellations.
Flights between Madrid and Lima or Buenos Aires exceed 3,500 kilometers, so they fall within the segment with the highest compensation provided for by Regulation 261/2004. The rule applies both to flights departing from Spain and to those returning from Peru or Argentina when they are operated by a community airline, such as Plus Ultra.
Nevertheless, the date on which the company communicates the cancellation is decisive. If it informs at least 14 days in advance, the passenger retains their right to reimbursement or alternative transport, but they will not be entitled to fixed compensation.
There are also exceptions when the airline offers certain alternative flights that make it possible to reach the destination within the time margins established. Likewise, it may be exempt from paying compensation if it demonstrates that the cancellation was due to extraordinary circumstances that it could not avoid despite taking all reasonable measures.
The financial restructuring of a company alone does not eliminate travelers’ rights. Therefore, when the definitive cancellations are announced, it will be necessary to analyze the circumstances of each flight to determine whether additional compensation is warranted.
How to claim against Plus Ultra if it doesn’t give you your money back
Passengers can file a complaint directly with the company through the official channels it has enabled.
Plus Ultra facilitates the email atencioncliente@plusultra.com and a specific form in its
https://www.plusultra.com/es-es/informacion/reclamaciones/" title="official claims page"/>. It also has the email callcentre@plusultra.com for queries related to bookings.
To process the request, it is advisable to provide the booking locator, the flight number, the planned travel date, the passengers’ details, and a copy of the cancellation communication, if it has already been received.
If the airline does not respond to the claim within one month or its reply is not satisfactory, the passenger may contact the State Air Safety Agency (AESA), which processes claims related to the rights recognized in European regulations.
When the ticket has been booked through a travel agency, it is also advisable to contact it to check whether it has additional information about the booking. If the flight is part of a package trip, there may be additional rights against the organizer.
In the event that the company does not carry out a recognized refund, travelers who paid by card can consult with their bank about the possibility of initiating a chargeback claim for a service not provided. This procedure does not guarantee recovering the amount, but it may constitute an additional channel for making a claim.
What happens to tickets if Plus Ultra enters insolvency proceedings
Plus Ultra’s delicate financial situation introduces additional uncertainty. The company has started a pre-insolvency phase to negotiate with its creditors, but this procedure is not equivalent to a judicial insolvency declaration and does not mean that it has stopped operating.
According to industry information, the company is preparing a reduction in staff and fleet, while at the same time aiming to concentrate its resources on connections with Venezuela and on aircraft rental contracts with third parties.
Meanwhile, passengers who have already bought tickets maintain the rights recognized by the regulations, although a potential insolvency could make it harder to effectively recover some amounts.
For now, the recommendation for those who have a trip to Lima or Buenos Aires is not to treat their booking as cancelled until they receive confirmation, to check Plus Ultra’s communications periodically, and to keep all documents related to the purchase.
The airline has stopped selling both routes and is preparing their suspension, but a definitive cancellation date for all pending flights has not yet been communicated. This confirmation will be what allows it to be determined which passengers must be rebooked, which can request a refund of their money, and in which cases additional compensation would apply.