Airline cancelled my return flight 17 days before departure – what are my options? (EC 261/2004)
I have a multi-leg trip starting May 19th, all booked and paid separately. My last leg, Air Arabia G9775 from Prague to Sharjah on June 2nd, was cancelled by the airline via email on Friday evening with 17 days' notice.
Their email offered two options: rebook within ±7 days on Air Arabia, or take a credit voucher. The problem is the first available Air Arabia flight on the same route is June 25th, which is outside their own ±7 day window. No cash refund was offered.
What I believe I'm entitled to under EC 261/2004:
Since the flight departs from Prague (EU), EC 261 applies even though Air Arabia is a UAE carrier. Under Articles 5 and 8, I should have the choice of reimbursement, re-routing at the earliest opportunity, or re-routing at my convenience under comparable transport conditions. Neither option they offered satisfies this.
I've drafted a formal email to Air Arabia invoking EC 261 and requesting re-routing on a direct Prague–UAE flight with hand luggage included, on or around June 2nd — on another carrier if necessary.
My questions:
- Does "comparable transport conditions" solidly support requesting a direct flight on an alternative carrier, given Air Arabia can't provide one within a reasonable timeframe? The only other carrier which currently flies this route is Emirates, and the ticket price is 2.5x what I paid.
- If they ignore me or unilaterally refund, what's the fastest enforcement route: Czech CAA, or a claims service like AirHelp/Flightright?
- Any experience dealing with Air Arabia specifically on EC 261 claims?
Thanks you so much for your help!