Why Travelers Are Being Asked to Postpone Christmas Trips to Bali

A grumbling volcano is ruining more than a few tropical vacations this holiday season.

The Mt. Agung volcano began erupting ash and rock on November 21. Scientists worry that pressure is building within the volcano, indicating a more powerful eruption may be brewing. Denpasar International Airport had closed earlier this week due to the ash plume, but reopened Wednesday when winds shifted the ash away. Airlines rushed to reach the thousands of travelers stranded on the island.

The Australian reports that travelers heading to Bali through the Christmas holidays are being asked to postpone their plans. Beyond the uncertainty of an active and threatening volcano, airlines need to focus on shuttling stranded tourists off the island. Regardless, conditions are unpredictable and extremely fluid, which is not a good scenario for travelers even if the volcano doesn’t get any worse.

Of course, the locals have it much worse. Authorities evacuated much of the area around Mt. Agung, following a separate evacuation earlier this fall when the volcano first showed signs of life. Over 100,000 residents, many of them poor farmers, are at risk of losing their homes and livelihoods.

Bali is a popular tourist destination, but let’s face it: Most of us are not heading to Bali for Christmas. Still, it’s a good opportunity to review your rights if and when this sort of situation impacts your flight.

The legal term for this is force majeure, which translates to “superior force.” This includes anything outside the airline’s control, such as weather, a giant monster attack, and, yes, a volcano. As an example, here is Southwest’s definition of force majeure, taken verbatim from their contract of carriage: