HelloJets

HelloJets: the airline whose name isn’t on your ticket

Most people who fly HelloJets didn’t book HelloJets. It’s a young Romanian charter airline — founded by a former Blue Air owner — that flies holiday routes for tour operators like Blue Style, often from Czech and Slovak airports to Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and the Greek islands, and does contract flying for other airlines too. So you book a package, turn up at the airport, and discover your flight is operated by an airline you’ve never heard of. That’s the moment worth understanding for EU 261.

The good news: HelloJets holds a Romanian Air Operator Certificate, which makes it an EU (Community) carrier — so EU 261/2004 covers it in both directions, your flight out and the flight home from a non-EU resort. And EU 261 holds the operating carrier responsible, not the tour operator that sold you the package. So when HelloJets operated your holiday flight, your compensation claim is against HelloJets — even though its name was nowhere on your booking.

Was it really HelloJets’ fault? Decode the excuse first

As a new, small carrier, HelloJets tends to reply slowly and lean on “extraordinary circumstances.” But that excuse only works for genuine events outside its control — a technical fault or a crew problem doesn’t count. Pick what you were told:

What your HelloJets claim is worth

EU 261 sets the amount by the great-circle distance of your route. HelloJets flies short and medium-haul leisure routes, so two bands cover everything:

The Greek-island hops are €250; the longer runs from Czech airports to Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia are €400. There’s no €600 — HelloJets flies nothing over 3,500 km. Pick a route:

The Tel Aviv exception

HelloJets also does contract flying for the Israeli airline Israir out of Tel Aviv — and that’s the one spot where direction and operator matter. A flight departing an EU airport is always covered. A flight departing Tel Aviv (non-EU) is covered if HelloJets (an EU carrier) operated it — but if Israir (a non-EU airline) was the operating carrier on that departure, it falls outside EU 261. So on a Tel Aviv departure, check who actually operated the flight before assuming you’re covered.

Real example. A Blue Style package: Prague → Antalya, operated by HelloJets, delayed 4 hours by a technical fault. Over 1,500 km → €400 per passenger — claimed from HelloJets as the operating carrier, even though you booked a holiday package, not an airline. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. A Bucharest → Kos flight is cancelled the day before, no suitable alternative. Under 1,500 km, short notice → €250 per passenger, plus a refund or rerouting and care. Check a cancelled flight →

Delays, cancellations and overbooking

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within HelloJets’ control and you’re owed €250 or €400. Measured at arrival, not departure.
• Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary — the compensation on top.
• Denied boarding. Bumped from an oversold flight? Compensation immediately.
• Don’t take the voucher. HelloJets may offer a voucher for future flights — you have the right to cash instead.

How to claim from HelloJets yourself

1. Confirm HelloJets operated your flight — check the booking and boarding pass for the operating carrier. For a tour-operator package that HelloJets ran, the claim is against HelloJets.
2. Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date, the stated reason, and any receipts.
3. Confirm it qualifies — you arrived 3+ hours late (or it was cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or you were denied boarding) and the cause wasn’t extraordinary.
4. Work out the amount — €250 under 1,500 km, €400 above it. No €600.
5. Submit the claim. File via HelloJets’ passenger-rights page and customer-care contact, stating you’re claiming under EU 261/2004, with the flight details and the arrival delay. If refused, escalate to Romania’s aviation authority AACR — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real HelloJets scenarios

• A package, really HelloJets. Prague → Antalya operated by HelloJets, 4 hours late → €400, claimed from HelloJets.
• Greek-island cancellation. Bucharest → Kos cancelled short-notice → €250 plus care.
• The flight home counts. Hurghada → Ostrava delayed → covered, because HelloJets is an EU carrier.
• The Tel Aviv check. A Tel Aviv departure → covered only if HelloJets (not Israir) operated it.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

HelloJets at a glance

Founded in 2021 by former Blue Air owner Cristian Rada, HelloJets is a small Romanian charter and ACMI carrier flying Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s for tour operators and other airlines across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Because its licence is Romanian, it’s a full EU carrier, covered both ways. The only thing to get right is recognising that it operated your flight in the first place.

Why hand your HelloJets claim to Refundio

The hard part of a HelloJets claim is that you probably booked a package and don’t know HelloJets operated the flight — and the airline is small, slow to reply, and quick to cite “extraordinary circumstances.” Refundio identifies the operating carrier, tests the excuse against the flight data, buys your claim and pays you upfront, then takes HelloJets on itself and to court if needed. No win, no fee.

Check your HelloJets claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

I booked a package holiday — how do I know I even flew HelloJets?

Check your booking and boarding pass for the operating carrier. HelloJets flies holiday routes for tour operators like Blue Style, so you may have booked a package without realising it operated the flight. EU 261 holds the operating carrier responsible, so the claim is against HelloJets.

Is HelloJets an EU airline?

Yes — it holds a Romanian AOC, making it an EU carrier. So EU 261 covers it both ways, including the flight home from a non-EU resort like Turkey or Egypt.

How much does HelloJets owe for a delayed flight?

€250 or €400 per passenger. Under 1,500 km (Bucharest to a Greek island) is €250; over 1,500 km (Czech airports to Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia) is €400. No €600.

My HelloJets flight was for the Israeli airline Israir from Tel Aviv. Am I covered?

It depends on direction and operator. An EU departure is always covered. A Tel Aviv departure is covered if HelloJets (an EU carrier) operated it, but not if Israir (non-EU) did. Check the operating carrier.

How do I claim compensation from HelloJets?

File via HelloJets’ passenger-rights page and customer-care contact, stating you’re claiming EU 261 compensation with your flight details and arrival delay. If refused, escalate to Romania’s AACR — or hand it to Refundio.

It was a charter flight — am I still covered?

Yes — EU 261 covers charter and scheduled flights the same. A package booking keeps your flight compensation separate from your package-travel rights against the operator.