Major airlines commit to speed up refunds after flight cancellations

Major airlines say they are committed to speeding up refunds to passengers after flight cancellations.

The European Commission has brokered a deal with 16 major airlines who have promised to provide “better information and timely reimbursement of passengers” when flights are cancelled.

The 16 major European airlines have all promised to reimburse passengers within seven days of cancellation, they also promised to make information about rights clearer for customers.

After receiving thousands of complaints from angry and frustrated passengers, the commission alerted enforcement authorities in December 2020 over concerns about several airlines’ cancellation and reimbursement practices during the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to dialogue with carriers and the eventual agreement with the EU.

“It is good news for consumers that airlines co-operated during the dialogues and committed to respecting passengers’ rights and improving their communication. In the early phase of the pandemic, some airlines pushed vouchers on passengers. They were acting against EU consumer protection rules,” said Justice commissioner Didier Reynders.

“That was unacceptable. Following our joint action, I am pleased that most of them have now agreed to refund these vouchers. I call on authorities to ensure that the remaining airlines also offer a money refund for such vouchers,” he added.

“I welcome the fact that the bulk of the reimbursement backlog has been cleared and that all airlines concerned have committed to solving remaining issues,” said Adina Vălean, transport commissioner, who added:

“This is crucial to restoring passengers’ confidence. The recovery of the air transport sector depends on this. This is why we are also currently assessing regulatory options to reinforce passenger protection against future crisis, as foreseen in our Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.”

Read more:

Continued Anger as Customers Still Have Not Received Their Refunds

No refunds for passengers hit by English lockdown, according to Ryanair CEO

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