Beware of conspiracy theories. Airbnb has just updated its emergency refund policy to apply to all trips from June 6, 2024, sparking a debate on social media.
“Why they changed this policy, are they afraid of something, are they aware of one or more major events that will happen from June 6, 2024, we don’t know, but what is certain is that Airbnb has been informed of something very dark“, we can hear in a video published on Twitter (see link below). “Is this related to the exclusion of Russia from exchanges between embassies about the risk of an attack in France?», comments the user. “This company may dimly suspect that these Olympics will be a massacre of possible attacks, the Russian response», Adds another Internet user.
Airbnb never mentions the Olympics or the risk of an attack in its policy update. The platform only explains that cancellations and refunds for bookings are generally subject to cancellation notices. But in rare cases where major events prevent or prohibit a booking, the Extraordinary Events Policy may apply and passengers may cancel their booking and receive a refund.
Mandatory evacuation order
Foreseeable weather events in the reservation’s geographic area are only eligible for a refund if they result in, for example, a government travel restriction or widespread utility outage. For example, hurricanes occurring during Florida’s hurricane season, which are weather conditions frequent enough to be foreseeable in that location, are covered only if they lead to another event covered by this policy that prevents the reservation from continuing , such as a mandatory evacuation order. Airbnb states that “the policy will only apply to events taking place at the venue for which the booking is made. Events that affect the traveler’s ability to travel to the location of the reservation are no longer included“.
Coverage does not apply to unforeseen injuries or illnesses, administrative duties such as jury duty or court appearances, or traffic strikes. Therefore, Airbnb refutes the theories circulating on social networks: “These claims are false and do not reflect our policies», responds Airbnb according to France Info.