'Passengers' became 'lenders' to airlines hit by pandemic

When the pandemic forced countries into lockdown, Raul-Petru Hreniuc was on a trip in Mongolia and had to scramble to find a way home.

The 35-year-old English teacher from Romania quickly arranged a series of flights, first to Berlin and then to Bucharest.

But a few hours before boarding the first plane in Mongolia, Hreniuc got a message from LOT Polish Airlines — the carrier for the second leg of the trip — saying that flight was cancelled.

He called the customer service ...