Hello all, I thought it might be useful to start a new thread to discuss how different airlines are treating passengers due to flights cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

I had tickets booked with Swiss for the end of April, but unfortunately it seems they're being especially unfriendly with their refund/rebooking policies, as are other Lufthansa group airlines. How are other airlines faring across the world? A lot is written in the news media, but I'd be interested to know how much each airline is actually adhering to their promises?

I also had ticket booked with Emirates in November 2019 to travel in July 2020. Fare says it is not refundable.

Now, the situation have changed completely, not sure what is the Emirates policy for refund?

I’m booked to travel from the UK to Spain with a group of 6 on the 17th April with easyJet. We know this cannot happen because government travel restrictions will not have been lifted. easyJet have not cancelled the flight and instead are offering for us to rebook at a later date, they are understandably very reluctant to offer a refund as they have no income.

Geoff

Fingers crossed this becomes a place to list the policies and not an 18 page whingefest haha

Called yesterday to LH go re-book two cancelled flight to much later dates in the summer. Instead of letting me choose the new dates for free they quoted me a hefty fare difference. I refused and demanded immediately refund. They agreed , however the agent said it will take several weeks. I read in newspaper LH group CFO resigned from job and somewhere else the airline doesn't have enough money pay everyone back. Must be a disaster for them.

Eurowings offers vouchers. Got it in ny mail box after 30 sec of canceling.

Ryanairs says they will refund, but I doubt this. Got an e-mail saying they can't cope with the request and it will take some time.

No dice on my Emirates codeshare from SYD to CHC. Interestingly, the other QF legs of my itinerary were (partially) refunded.

I had flights booked that were already cancelled by:

KLM / Air France: at first they oficially stated refunds possible, I filled the form, but then they changed the policy for vouchers only. Still, refund is possible after direct contact, which is right now almost impossible, but the refund will take up to 1 year. They send vouchers right away.

Copa Airlines: they stopped all the operations, all cancelled bookings will get vouchers. We have to stand by for info. I wonder what will happen to my booking, as it was return ticket with 1 leg already completed Btw, I wasn't about to take return flight, so I may be a winner here.

Spirit: Voucher issued online for the same value.

Interjet (Mexican low-cost that is near collapsing): They issued a voucher for 60% of the price, what really surprised me... Contacting them for explanation is nearly impossible right now.

Delta: Vouchers, but they will accept it for 2 years (changed policy from 1 year validation).

I hope it helps!

The U.S. DOT has mandated (effective 3 April '20) that carriers give refunds on customer request, not vouchers. https://www.transportation.gov/briefing ... ier-refund

EU legislation REQUIRES the airline (EU airlines or flying out of the EU) to offer a refund. The EU "clarified their position on 18 March 2020 when they detailed some relief to the airlines in terms of cancellations within 14 days of the flight. However, the EU has been adamant about the refund.

If you paid by credit card and the fare is over 100 Euros/GBP/$ then you can file a claim or chargeback with the credit card issuer. The merchant (airline) did not provide the goods or services to the customer by the date agreed. If you look at the terms and conditions on the ticket, you will find the airline also offers a refund if they cancel.

I just went through that very process with Vueling who were less than willing to provide a refund. 3 tickets for a total of 809.88Euros. It took a few calls to the bank but eventually, they filed the chargeback and closed the file as Vueling didn't respond.

Get your refunds in promptly.

Even at the best of times, a run on an airline's free funds held in respect to prepaid tickets would have liquidity implications, but now.... Unfortunate IATA trust rules applied to travel agents, aren't universally applied to airlines.

American Airlines gave me a full refund yesterday for a MAN-PHL-SJU-PHL-MAN trip booked for April 24.

Ryanair have said they will refund me for a MAN-ALC back in March but not had an email or the cash as yet.

TUI are not answering the phone.

I have moved 1 other Ryanair and 2 Easyjet flights to October.

I had 2 booked flights for March: one with Cathay Pacific to Manila and the other with LOT to Chicago. Both were cancelled by the airline.
I already receive a full refund on the CX ticket , down to the penny. I asked LO via Facebook (seemed to be the only communication channel) and got an answer they were still working on it.

So I guess that's a hit or miss....

mmo wrote:

EU legislation REQUIRES the airline (EU airlines or flying out of the EU) to offer a refund. The EU "clarified their position on 18 March 2020 when they detailed some relief to the airlines in terms of cancellations within 14 days of the flight. However, the EU has been adamant about the refund.

If you paid by credit card and the fare is over 100 Euros/GBP/$ then you can file a claim or chargeback with the credit card issuer. The merchant (airline) did not provide the goods or services to the customer by the date agreed. If you look at the terms and conditions on the ticket, you will find the airline also offers a refund if they cancel.

I just went through that very process with Vueling who were less than willing to provide a refund. 3 tickets for a total of 809.88Euros. It took a few calls to the bank but eventually, they filed the chargeback and closed the file as Vueling didn't respond.

https://onemileatatime.com/swiss-flight-refund/

LH Group is taking the refund thievery and scamming to a whole new level. According to this article, LH will approve refunds, but the refund processing is on hold indefinitely. I think LH is doing this so they can argue they are technically following the law for refunds, but they want to still hold on to cash that belongs to you.

max999 wrote:

mmo wrote:

EU legislation REQUIRES the airline (EU airlines or flying out of the EU) to offer a refund. The EU "clarified their position on 18 March 2020 when they detailed some relief to the airlines in terms of cancellations within 14 days of the flight. However, the EU has been adamant about the refund.

If you paid by credit card and the fare is over 100 Euros/GBP/$ then you can file a claim or chargeback with the credit card issuer. The merchant (airline) did not provide the goods or services to the customer by the date agreed. If you look at the terms and conditions on the ticket, you will find the airline also offers a refund if they cancel.

I just went through that very process with Vueling who were less than willing to provide a refund. 3 tickets for a total of 809.88Euros. It took a few calls to the bank but eventually, they filed the chargeback and closed the file as Vueling didn't respond.

https://onemileatatime.com/swiss-flight-refund/

LH Group is taking the refund thievery and scamming to a whole new level. According to this article, LH will approve refunds, but the refund processing is on hold indefinitely. I think LH is doing this so they can argue they are technically following the law for refunds, but they want to still hold on to cash that belongs to you.

The problem is that EU law requires the airline to refund the money within 14 days. So, LH is in violation of the EU law in that area too. NO, they are not "technically following the law" for refunds as you state.

devron wrote:

Eurowings offers vouchers. Got it in ny mail box after 30 sec of canceling.

Ryanairs says they will refund, but I doubt this. Got an e-mail saying they can't cope with the request and it will take some time.

Basically, you'll have to wait until government advice covers your travel date(s). Any EU/UK airline or any airline operating a flight departing/arriving in the EU/UK must refund if requested based on that advice.

Just to be clear. You can't just cancel "because it looks like it'll probably/you want to", the government advice of "All but non-essential"/"No travel" must cover your date of travel.
The EU/UK airlines can offer amendments/vouchers (consider them, as it will airlines out) but they must refund if requested to do so when government restrictions on travel apply to the travel date(s).

Cancelling off your own back where government advice is not yet in force means normal rules will apply. Some airlines are being more proactive than others with respect to bending their usual T&Cs in these cases. Virgin Atlantic, Jet2 are a couple I've dealt with.

max999 wrote:

https://onemileatatime.com/swiss-flight-refund/

LH Group is taking the refund thievery and scamming to a whole new level. According to this article, LH will approve refunds, but the refund processing is on hold indefinitely. I think LH is doing this so they can argue they are technically following the law for refunds, but they want to still hold on to cash that belongs to you.

Assuming that the people who flew a lot before Corona will be the same as the people who will fly once Corona is over, it doesn't matter whatever are the refund policies. Customers will have to pay heavy one way or the other. It's important that all airlines follow the same rules. If one airline refunds and the other doesn't the one which refunds can go straight into bankruptcy.

People who book months in advance usually have a high price advantage. Well, in force majeure it becomes a total loss. But I believe those who traveled the last ten years by booking early profited much more than what they loose now.

How do vouchers work? Tickets over travel agencies are considerable cheaper than if bought with the airline. If a return ticket from a travel agent was 700$, can one get a 700$ voucher to buy a 1400$ ticket directly with the airline?

Suppose airlines refund and somehow manage not to go bankrupt. At least they will have to ask Boeing/ Airbus to delay delivery of new planes. Boeing/ Airbus will have to sack workers. To a lesser degree same will be true for the supply chain.
Are you sure you want your few hundred $ back?

I believe it is in the interest of customers who are regular fliers not to get a refund, as long as this applies to all.
Or should the taxpayer pay for frequent fliers?

Geoff1947 wrote:

I’m booked to travel from the UK to Spain with a group of 6 on the 17th April with easyJet. We know this cannot happen because government travel restrictions will not have been lifted. easyJet have not cancelled the flight and instead are offering for us to rebook at a later date, they are understandably very reluctant to offer a refund as they have no income.

Geoff

Outbound flight cancelled on Monday. Left message on their website requesting full refund. Refund agreed 36 hours later by email. Well done easyJet, thank you.

Geoff

Geoff1947 wrote:

Geoff1947 wrote:

I’m booked to travel from the UK to Spain with a group of 6 on the 17th April with easyJet. We know this cannot happen because government travel restrictions will not have been lifted. easyJet have not cancelled the flight and instead are offering for us to rebook at a later date, they are understandably very reluctant to offer a refund as they have no income.

Geoff

Outbound flight cancelled on Monday. Left message on their website requesting full refund. Refund agreed 36 hours later by email. Well done easyJet, thank you.

Geoff

Well done indeed. That should be the standard policy with all carriers.

Flights I booked with EK for the end of the month. Before EK started drawing down and ultimately cancelled my flights I tried to get a refund which they refused so I issued a charge back with American Express and I'm just letting them handle EK instead of dealing with Emirates useless call centers.

Insertnamehere wrote:

Flights I booked with EK for the end of the month. Before EK started drawing down and ultimately cancelled my flights I tried to get a refund which they refused so I issued a charge back with American Express and I'm just letting them handle EK instead of dealing with Emirates useless call centers.

The key word there is you you tried BEFORE anything was cancelled so normal ticketing rules would have been applicable.
Simply waiting until any government advice restricting travel covered the date of travel or for the airline themselves to cancel it would have resulted in you getting a positive result.

For starters, BA had cancelled my flight to TLV that was scheduled for late April. I applied for the voucher and was told I would receive it within seven days, but that was eight days ago and I still haven't gotten an email. Now I've just found out that the first leg of my NCL-LHR-ORD trip in late May has been cancelled. It looks like BA has suspended LHR-NCL until June. Do you think there's any chance they might resume those flights before that if the situation improves in the next few weeks? Otherwise I'd probably have to take the train down to London to catch the flight to ORD.

While the UK may just be in it's "lock down" exit phase phase by then, I have a sneaky feeling large swathes of the US won't be open for business anyway so it'll be moot.
If they've cancelled the 1st leg, the whole ticket (assuming it is all one ticket) should be subject to a full refund, regardless of whether or not subsequent legs still operate.

ChrisKen wrote:

Insertnamehere wrote:

Flights I booked with EK for the end of the month. Before EK started drawing down and ultimately cancelled my flights I tried to get a refund which they refused so I issued a charge back with American Express and I'm just letting them handle EK instead of dealing with Emirates useless call centers.

The key word there is you you tried BEFORE anything was cancelled so normal ticketing rules would have been applicable.
Simply waiting until any government advice restricting travel covered the date of travel or for the airline themselves to cancel it would have resulted in you getting a positive result.

They since called me after the flights were canceled and tried to force me into a voucher which I could get a refund after a year which I'm not doing so I just am leaving Amex to handle it for me.

ChrisKen wrote:

While the UK may just be in it's "lock down" exit phase phase by then, I have a sneaky feeling large swathes of the US won't be open for business anyway so it'll be moot.
If they've cancelled the 1st leg, the whole ticket (assuming it is all one ticket) should be subject to a full refund, regardless of whether or not subsequent legs still operate.

I should probably make it clear that I'm going back home to the US for the summer (currently studying in Newcastle). This was the second leg of a round trip itinerary, so if I were to request a voucher would I only get half of what I originally paid or how does that work? According to BA's website, since the flight was cancelled I also have the option of calling "to discuss refund options." I considered rearranging things to do NCL-LHR-TLV-LHR-ORD at the end of the semester so that I could still get my Israel trip in, but who knows if they're even going to be allowing people in from the UK at that point.

Singapore Airlines offering credit voucher plus bonus value on top, OR full refund. Valid for flights to end May, if booked prior to March 15. Cancellation fees waived. Link here https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/precautionary-measures/#I%20have%20a%20ticket%20for%20travel%20after%2031%20May%202020

Also, Jetstar (JQ) initially offered credit voucher for 2 domestic flights. Went on their online chat (took an hour to be connected) and have been authorised refunds. Their 14 days to process refund is nearly up, so ready to chase if not forthcoming.

mke717spotter wrote:

ChrisKen wrote:

While the UK may just be in it's "lock down" exit phase phase by then, I have a sneaky feeling large swathes of the US won't be open for business anyway so it'll be moot.
If they've cancelled the 1st leg, the whole ticket (assuming it is all one ticket) should be subject to a full refund, regardless of whether or not subsequent legs still operate.

I should probably make it clear that I'm going back home to the US for the summer (currently studying in Newcastle). This was the second leg of a round trip itinerary, so if I were to request a voucher would I only get half of what I originally paid or how does that work? According to BA's website, since the flight was cancelled I also have the option of calling "to discuss refund options." I considered rearranging things to do NCL-LHR-TLV-LHR-ORD at the end of the semester so that I could still get my Israel trip in, but who knows if they're even going to be allowing people in from the UK at that point.

You'll probably need to forget about your Israel trip tbh.
As it's the return portion of your round trip, you'd be entitled to a refund for the entire return portion of the ticket as the 1st sector of the return leg has been cancelled. This wouldn't be much use as you're headed home and presumably want to keep your place on the TA leg.
At this time I'd keep it as you are, work out how you'll get to LHR and hope the LHR-ORD flight operates. You should be able to have the cancelled NCL-LHR sector refunded (if not now, certainly after you travel LHR-ORD or when that's cancelled too). The amount would be based on the original fare calculation for that sector(s). You should have this somewhere in your ticket/fare info you received when booking.

Hello Everybody!

I am currently holding LH tickets worth approx $4,000 for Europe-Latin America flights in early June (premium economy, non-refundable fares). For obvious reasons we have decided to postpone the trip by about a year.

As far as I understand the various e-mails and their website, I essentially have the following options now:
1. Rebook by April 19, with a new flight date by April 2021.
2. Request a "Flight Voucher" by April 19, which will allow me to rebook by August for a flight until August 2021.
3. Wait for a (likely?) flight cancellation and/or immedtiately try to push them (via a lawyer/consumer affairs) for a refund.

My preferred option right now is to get a flight voucher and rebook in a few months, but I understand there is considerable risk they will try to extract more money by then quoting (much) higher fares for the postponed flight dates.

Also, I paid around $400 for seat reservations.

Does any of you here have any thoughts on what would be the best course of action?

PlaneInsomniac wrote:

Hello Everybody!

I am currently holding LH tickets worth approx $4,000 for Europe-Latin America flights in early June (premium economy, non-refundable fares). For obvious reasons we have decided to postpone the trip by about a year.

As far as I understand the various e-mails and their website, I essentially have the following options now:
1. Rebook by April 19, with a new flight date by April 2021.
2. Request a "Flight Voucher" by April 19, which will allow me to rebook by August for a flight until August 2021.
3. Wait for a (likely?) flight cancellation and/or immedtiately try to push them (via a lawyer/consumer affairs) for a refund.

My preferred option right now is to get a flight voucher and rebook in a few months, but I understand there is considerable risk they will try to extract more money by then quoting (much) higher fares for the postponed flight dates.

Also, I paid around $400 for seat reservations.

Does any of you here have any thoughts on what would be the best course of action?

Do you know what will happen with the Flight Voucher if you let it expire? Say you find a better fare with another airline, can you let the Flight Voucher expire and then get a full refund anyway?

mke717spotter wrote:

For starters, BA had cancelled my flight to TLV that was scheduled for late April. I applied for the voucher and was told I would receive it within seven days, but that was eight days ago and I still haven't gotten an email. Now I've just found out that the first leg of my NCL-LHR-ORD trip in late May has been cancelled. It looks like BA has suspended LHR-NCL until June. Do you think there's any chance they might resume those flights before that if the situation improves in the next few weeks? Otherwise I'd probably have to take the train down to London to catch the flight to ORD.

Update: I called BA today and was told my voucher for the TLV flights was still being processed, even though its now been nearly more than double the seven days they originally said it would take. As for my flight to ORD, I was rebooked onto a flight leaving a week later (my semester was extended) and they also included a train ticket to King's Cross in the new reservation. The thought didn't occur to me at the time, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to access the actual ticket for the train. All I got emailed to me was an itinerary receipt with a BA booking reference number.