Airline ticket validity disputes when flights are cancelled—passengers can't get refunds or rebooking despite holding 'valid' tickets

When airlines cancel flights, they often claim tickets remain valid for future travel rather than issuing refunds, leaving passengers stranded without compensation or clear rebooking options. Passengers lack a clear process to challenge these claims, understand their legal rights, or force airlines to honor refunds they're entitled to under regulations like EU261. Current solutions (airline customer service, generic travel forums) are slow, opaque, and heavily favor the airline.