but surely this is european law.
the airline has to give you refund or book you on the next available flight, and look after you in the meantime.
the airlines know the rules, and MOL is an expert on rules.
it is unfortunate that the airlines have to pay out a lot more than they have received for tickets, but they were all aware.
could they not have taken out insurance to cover this, or did the perceived risks outweigh the premium.
there may be a case for the EU to provide some compensation to the airlines, as the airlines themselves were unable to mitigate their losses.
although most travel insurance policies do not provide the levels of cover that individuals need when faced with this sort of disaster, anyone trying to get the level of insuance that would protect them would almost certainly be faced with a ridiculously high premium.
however, when you read some of the stories about the expenses people are running up to get home, i feel the airlines are perfectly justified in refusing to pay for some of these things ie a taxi home from spain is really taking the proverbial ...
so, i think that the airlines must pay the hotel/food, and bite the bullet, but anyone who has taken any other option to get home may find that there is no-one to pay these costs bar themselves.