Airbnb's war policy leaves some stranded travelers paying for rooms they can't use

"It tears me apart to know you are constantly threatened by the ongoing geopolitical conflict in your location right now. And I feel so bad that I still cannot help you with your full-refund request at the moment. This message from an Airbnb agent to Wainer demonstrates the company's sympathetic stance while maintaining its refusal to process the refund despite acknowledged hardship from regional conflict."

"Our Major Disruptive Events Policy is in effect for areas of the world impacted by issues covered under this policy, like military actions or closed airspaces. This means guests who have an eligible booking in one of those areas can cancel for a refund, and hosts can cancel without consequences. To be clear, this means the listing itself needs to be in the impacted area."

"Israel's airspace has been closed since February 28 after it and the US launched a joint attack on Iran, sparking retaliatory strikes across the region. Those strikes brought travel to a near-total halt, forcing stranded tourists to launch GoFundMe campaigns to afford extended stays."

Maria Wainer, based in Israel, canceled her trip to Boston after airspace closures resulted from strikes between Israel, the US, and Iran. She requested a refund from Airbnb citing the Major Disruptive Events policy, which covers military actions and closed airspaces. Airbnb's support agent expressed sympathy but denied the refund. The company clarified that its policy applies only when the listing itself is in an impacted area, not when travelers originate from conflict zones. Wainer had paid approximately $800 for her reservation. The regional conflict forced widespread travel shutdowns and stranded tourists to seek emergency funding.

Read at Business Insider