airlines cancelling flights, refunds are up in the air

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, sandyf said:

As I said in post 81, if both the situation and Emirates policy remain unchanged you would be entitled to a voucher or a refund. It should be borne in mind that some of the tax and fees are irrecoverable so not a full refund like the voucher.

It woulds appear that Emirates, probably as a cash flow exercise, are prepared to stand that loss if you take the voucher.

Thanks, I will just have to wait and see, hopefully

 

things will be near enough back to normal by then.

[sandyf]

2 hours ago, Chivas said:

Why dont you actually read what was initially written by me

Although I agree with the sentiment of that comment, I would point out with regard to your original comment that ABTA/ATOL only protect against insolvency.

 

A few years back I had an issue with a travel agent, the flight was cancelled but the agent refused to process a refund, claimed it was a reschedule not a cancellation. The airline also refused to process a refund as the ticket had been bought from an agent.

I had to initiate legal proceedings to get it resolved, once the airline was aware of the full story they settled out of court.

[sandyf]

6 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Thanks, I will just have to wait and see, hopefully

 

things will be near enough back to normal by then.

I sincerely hope so, I have another ticket with Emirates for August.

[stouricks]

On 3/23/2020 at 5:29 PM, Jimbo53 said:

By Civil Aviation Law,any Airline that cancels a passengers flight has to give them a cash refund,the passenger can refuse a voucher for future travel.

Would you kindly put a link to this Civil Aviation Law please.

[stouricks]

On 3/23/2020 at 3:44 PM, Peter Denis said:

Wow, if Emirates would refuse a refund (or challenge the credit-card charge-back) I would classify them as a 'rogue' airline.

Even if I have a non-refundable ticket, the fact remains that they are not honoring the contract by providing the service they sold me.

But we live in strange times, so it is well possible they would try to weasle out of it (I read on their web-site that if you paid using your Emirates-miles, they would NOT refund these - which is also a questionable practice).

I have non-refundable tickets BKK - DXB -MAD and back. Emirates have cancelled the DXB - MAD flights but not the BKK - DXB. Went onto My Account and they are offering a refund but charging Bht 10,000 to do it. I shall wait until nearer the time we were supposed to fly (20th April) to see what happens.

[treetops]

3 hours ago, Chivas said:

Why dont you actually read what was initially written by me

I did, and I've read it again, so here goes:

 

a)  It was a direct response to possum1931's query about him having paid a TA with a debit card for an Emirates flight.

b)  There was no mention of the TA being a member of ABTA.

c)  If they were a member (as I would hope), the ABTA bond only kicks in if a member goes out of business and cannot fulfil it's obligations, not if an airline cancels a flight.  Source: https://www.abta.com/help-and-complaints/frequently-asked-questions/what-covered-under-abtas-consumer-financial

There is nothing to indicate his TA has gone bust, but if I've missed it in a previous post then I apologise.

d)  ATOL is the financial protection cover for ABTA members covering flights and packages.  It does not cover scheduled flights, ticketed at the time of purchase.  Link previously given.  Again, there is nothing to indicate what he's purchased, but if I've missed it in a previous post then I apologise.

 

Please let us know if any of the above is incorrect as it may help many readers in the current situation, not just possum1931.

[treetops]

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

Obviously to make that statement you would need to have some proof, but I doubt it. Only the person holding the ticket would know if EU261 had been "disregarded", as you put it. If they felt that was the case then they should be making a claim, as I am doing in the court against BA.

To clarify, there are several threads on more travel orientated forums indicating airlines have been refusing cash refunds even when a customer has got through to them and mentioned EU261, and the policies given on some of their websites confirm this stance.  I realise that is 2nd hand info, but you have just added BA to the list and I've no reason to doubt your post.

[sandyf]

16 hours ago, treetops said:

To clarify, there are several threads on more travel orientated forums indicating airlines have been refusing cash refunds even when a customer has got through to them and mentioned EU261, and the policies given on some of their websites confirm this stance.  I realise that is 2nd hand info, but you have just added BA to the list and I've no reason to doubt your post.

You are clearly misunderstanding a couple of points.

Firstly, I have not added BA to any list, my ongoing case with BA stems from a flight in May 2019 and involves compensation, nothing to do with a refund.

 

Secondly, the EU directive is primarily related to compensation rather than refunds as airlines invariably have their own refund policy. As I said previously, if anyone feels that EU261 should take precedence over the airline refund policy then they should initiate a complaint against the airline.

https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/themes/passengers/air/doc/complain_form/eu_complaint_form_en.pdf

 

People should bear in mind that certain conditions must exist and that outbound and inbound would be treated as separate flights. Refund under EU261 may only apply to one part of the journey. From a non-EU country it would have to be an EU based airline for both legs to be included.

[sandyf]

19 hours ago, stouricks said:

Would you kindly put a link to this Civil Aviation Law please.

The comment was meaningless, as unfortunately is your request. Aviation Law is country specific in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization.

https://www.caat.or.th/th/archives/47858

[stouricks]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

The comment was meaningless, as unfortunately is your request. Aviation Law is country specific in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization.

https://www.caat.or.th/th/archives/47858

Thanks for this link.

[stouricks]

On 3/23/2020 at 3:58 PM, 007 RED said:

Sorry stouricks but the information which I have underlined in your post above is incorrect, it is in fact the complete opposite.

 

According to the Emirates, the amount of refund you will be entitled to will be accordance with the fare condition of your ticket.  Unfortunately, as you have a non-refundable ticket, that is what you will get.  Nought!  You may, however, get the passenger tax element refunded but that is only going to be a small amount.

 

To make matters worse, if you have paid by a debit card it is unlikely that the card provider operates a 'claw back' scheme.

 

Sorry mate, but it looks like you have been 'shafted'.

 

That said, one glimmer of hope may be if you have travel insurance you may be able to make a claim on that for flight cancellation.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

They have offered me Bht 35,000 of a Bht 45,000 ticket, so Bht 10,000 fee to cancel.

[CNXBKKMAN]

4 minutes ago, stouricks said:

They have offered me Bht 35,000 of a Bht 45,000 ticket, so Bht 10,000 fee to cancel.

If your situation is flexible and you could imagine flying in July, Sept, October ? or some point in the future keep the ticket and use it then. You will have to date change it with Emirates when things return to normal. I don't think you will be able fly in April. 

[stouricks]

4 hours ago, CNXBKKMAN said:

If your situation is flexible and you could imagine flying in July, Sept, October ? or some point in the future keep the ticket and use it then. You will have to date change it with Emirates when things return to normal. I don't think you will be able fly in April. 

Thanks. I have opted for a full fare value voucher which is valid for 12 months, extendable for a further 12, or a full refund. 

Who knows if I , or anyone, will still be here in 2 years.

[zoza]

I have booked flights with Thai Lion Air for the 20th of April and they suspended our flights and offered a flight for about five hours later.

I declined that offer and asked for a full refund, a few days later it was announced we were under emergency rule ?and they suspended all flights from the beginning of April till May, and the Thai government instructed

All Thai Lion Airways to refund all flights that are affected.

I have phoned the TLA number for a week or more but it is shut down and does not even ring.

 

I have logged into their online site for my booked flight and all that it says is this flight is already canceled.

other flights (with other Airlines) I have booked and paid for have answered my call and have informed me I can get a new flight until next September, or a refund.

has anyone had any joy with this airline? my bank has asked that I contact them around my flight date for other actions, as it does not look good,

Below is a statement from TLA.

 

All of TLA’s 17 aircraft will be grounded for over a month after it stops operations on Wednesday (Mar 25). The airline is expecting to resume services on May 1.

Passengers who had booked flights between March 25 to April 30 have been offered the option to reschedule, avail credits for later travel, or a full refund.

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by zoza

[angy]

My son had booked a Qatar Airways ticket from volagratis agent. The flight was cancelled and no other flights was offered even in other destinations, still waiting money back ....

AirAsia cancelled all flights and is quite impossible to apply for a voucher o their site, they cancelled also the possibility to apply for refund, maybe they're out of money.

 

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, angy said:

AirAsia cancelled all flights and is quite impossible to apply for a voucher o their site, they cancelled also the possibility to apply for refund, maybe they're out of money.

I managed to apply for a credit note on 4 AirAsia flights 2 weeks back.

That part of the site has been down since then (30 days consideration period).

Why do I even need to apply, when they cancelled the flights?

[zoza]

I have two flights with Thai lion air who on the only time I made contact told me to contact The travel Agency (I presume they mean '' Airpaz '') they have canceled all flights so why do I have to contact their partner in …...

the other flights with Nok Air has at least said I might be able to get a voucher but they asked me to wait until near my original flight date.

the two hotel booking have not made any reply but state if you cancel a week before your booking (yes) you will receive a full refund.

not one satang from any of them but my cancel of Amazon got me £5.99 within two days. has any one got any info on these lot, as they do not seem at keen on giving my money back.

Edited April 4, 2020 by zoza

[thaiflyer1]

Apologies if this has been covered

 

I have a BA flight to the UK BKK to Newcastle 5th may............which has been cancelled............heres the dilemma...............i can have a voucher but if i re-book i have to pay any higher fare differences ...........or i can change the date of the flight free using the same booking code

 

Now here's the dilemma if i change to 1st july to return end of august the change is free but what happens if the flights are running again and the thai govt still want medical cert and insurance?........seems like it will be hard to get hold of?........

 

On the other hand if i go the voucher route i can wait for the thai govt to lift the med cert and ins restriction and then re-book using the voucher but incur higher fare charges in july /august time

 

I am assuming that if i re-book i.e change the date of the flight now and the new flight is cancelled i will be able to move the flight dates once again free of charge to later in the year

 

Thoughts?

[edwinchester]

On 4/7/2020 at 10:44 AM, thaiflyer1 said:

Apologies if this has been covered

 

I have a BA flight to the UK BKK to Newcastle 5th may............which has been cancelled............heres the dilemma...............i can have a voucher but if i re-book i have to pay any higher fare differences ...........or i can change the date of the flight free using the same booking code

 

Now here's the dilemma if i change to 1st july to return end of august the change is free but what happens if the flights are running again and the thai govt still want medical cert and insurance?........seems like it will be hard to get hold of?........

 

On the other hand if i go the voucher route i can wait for the thai govt to lift the med cert and ins restriction and then re-book using the voucher but incur higher fare charges in july /august time

 

I am assuming that if i re-book i.e change the date of the flight now and the new flight is cancelled i will be able to move the flight dates once again free of charge to later in the year

 

Thoughts?

https://aireclaim.com/voucher/?gclid=CjwKCAjwp-X0BRAFEiwAheRui9RYO0anu1rhyYMVQdjAWPHzoF5NLZkN53pga8pjTvTCKNdOc9YSSxoCEssQAvD_BwE

 

This suggests that you are fully entitled to a refund.

[sammieuk1]

I got through to BA yesterday for a refund of flight BKK-LHR on the 23rd expecting at least half the flight money back and was greeted by a real obnoxious cow that said I would only get back £97 for the flight the rest in taxes I won't now just a two week wait to see if this is correct and i kick off with a credit card chargeback I successfully use with Finair covid is now a charter for corporate muggers ????

[dallen52]

Was caught by the earlier than advertised closure of the Thai Airways flights.

Had a March 27th to Bangkok. 

Last flight to Thailand was March 31st.

Covid check and medical certificate plus insurance. 

All good.

They pulled up stumps on the 25th.

Leaving me stranded in Australia and my partner alone in Thailand. 

 

One liner,

your flight is cancelled. 

 

Recently I have had an email from Thai airways saying that the flight validity is extended automatically. 

Suppose we have to see what date flight services resume.

And what hoops we have to jump through to get back into Thailand. 

 

[Captain Monday]

I had a booking with Korean Air for August. 

I decided to cancel, few clicks on the website and got full refund

yesterday. Took at least one month though..

[stupidfarang]

i had a return flight from BKK to LONDON, eva cancelled the flight, will not give me a refund on a premimum seat. Said i cancelled, they cancelled the 7th May flight changed it to the 6th May then cancelled it and changed it to the 10th May. i could not fly on the 10th so was forced to go to travel agent and had to cancel so i could apply for a refund. 

[Langsuan Man]

1 hour ago, stupidfarang said:

 i could not fly on the 10th so was forced to go to travel agent and had to cancel so i could apply for a refund. 

No, you were forced to seek a refund because YOU were not able to fly on the 10th, so YOU cancelled, and since you cancelled you had to apply for a refund 

 

Next time when an airline cancels a flight and offers you an alternative, take it, or you are going to be out the money because their obligation is to provide you with carriage, when available, not when convenient to you.  How much of a refund you receive will depend upon they type of ticket issued; one way, round trip, or multi city

 

I have had four Eva flights cancelled and am scheduled again for July 3rd and they just issued me a completely new ticket for it, as well as a confirmed reservation.  But if they cancel,  I will patiently wait till the next time it is rescheduled