My flight was just canceled two weeks before the date

Question

Expedia just informed me that my flight with Ukrainian International Airlines was canceled. I'm flying from NYC to Kiev. This is an important business trip and I ordered tickets 2 months ago. Expedia is offering me options 2 days before and 2 days after, but neither are good for me. The issue is not so much cost (though it is a pain), but more so the schedule. I really would prefer to leave on my selected date.

They are also offering a full refund, but I would end up losing a lot of money because I need to buy to tickets just 2 weeks in advance.

What are my options? Are airlines really allowed to just cancel on my reservation at a whim just 2 weeks in advance? I really feel screwed over here. Are there any rules or regulations that can help me?

Answer 1

There are a few relevant rules but nothing that would seem to help you in this case. In the US, the most important rules pertain to overbooking but if the flight itself is cancelled, it's really up to the airline AFAIK.

In the EU, there are extensive “passenger rights” but I don't think they apply to your trip either as neither your departure point nor your destination are in the EU. In any case, it seems the offer you got (full refund or rescheduling before or after the original date as available) is what an EU carrier would have to do in this case. If they were informed at least two weeks before the scheduled flight date, passengers are not owed any further compensation, so it sounds like the airline is doing everything to stay precisely within the bounds of those EU rules.

I don't know about Ukraine but I doubt the airline has to offer more than that.