Your testimonies'I can't get my plane tickets refunded!'

Have you had issues with getting your money back from airlines who cancelled flights as a result of the coronavirus crisis?

That was the question posed by RTL 5minutes this week, to which 383 readers from Luxembourg and the wider region responded.

The results are quite stark:

• 84 respondents had no issue getting their money back, or were satisfied with the offers they received.
• 299 respondents are still waiting to be reimbursed or were displeased with the offers they received.

The Lucky Ones

Around 22% of responses were positive. Here are some testimonies:

• Sandra (Luxembourg): “It took nearly months but I was reimbursed eventually” she writes.
• Coralie (Luxembourg): she was “automatically reimbursed”
• Lola (France): “Luxair proceeded to reimburse me a few weeks before the flight’s departure”.
• Sissi (Luxembourg): “No worries for me, but 150€ was taken out my refund in booking fees.”
• Jean (Luxembourg): “OI had two trips that I had booked before lockdown reimbursed. I’m entirely satisfied”.
• Valval (France) : “No problems with British air, but issues with Easy Jet”.

The Unlucky Ones

Over 3/4 of respondents are thus unhappy with the way they have been treated. Here are some examples:

• Julia (Luxembourg): “the agency refused me a refund and instead gave me vouchers which are valid for 18 months, but it will be difficult to find a replacement trip with a similar price!”
• Emilia (Luxembourg): “We haven’t been contacted for a refund or an exchange.”
• Henri (Luxembourg): “Customer service isn’t answering. What I dislike the most is the phishing technique used to transform my cancelled flight into a voucher. They tell you to click on a link to find out more and when I arrived on the website a message tells me that I’ve transformed my flight into a voucher. For me that’s a scam pure and simple...”
• Gilles (France): “I received a voucher from TUI but I asked for a refund. My request has received no response to this day.”
• Myriam (Luxembourg) : “My flight from Luxembourg to London from 3 April was cancelled but I still haven’t been able to obtain a refund from the platform where I bought my ticket”
• Ben (Luxembourg): “No refund but a voucher for a flight before the end of 2021"
• Cyril (Luxembourg): “Flights with Lufthansa for July 2020 were cancelled by the company on 22 April. They first offered vouchers but said they would give out refunds if the customer asks. However they have warned that there will be a long delay. As of yet I haven’t received any reimbursement. Two worrying elements: I can’t follow the process of reimbursement as my reservation has disappeared since the cancellation, and I’ve received no information on the delay.”
• Lana (Luxembourg): “Je I haven’t recovered the whole of my costs: I spent 2,200 euros; I’ve recovered 1,700 euros and then 267 euros, without any explanation.”
• Dirgni (Luxembourg): “Our flights have not been refunded. Thai Airways have gone into administration. No refund expected.”

Reminder

Let’s remember that these testimonies do not reflect airlines’ commercial policies but simply the experiences of our readers. Every case is different, as shown by the fact that the same companies have appeared on either side of our poll.

A note on the law: European legislation ensures that in the case of cancellation, travellers must be offered either a new itinerary or a refund, which can only come in the form of a voucher with the customer’s consent. Companies who suggest anything otherwise are thus violating European law.