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Customers 'kept waiting for refunds for flights cancelled in March'

Which? said some Ryanair customers were waiting for refunds from March having been sent a voucher - Reuters
Which? said some Ryanair customers were waiting for refunds from March having been sent a voucher - Reuters
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter

Airline customers have waited since the start of the pandemic for refunds in breach of the law, a Which? study has claimed.

The consumer champion said it had spoken to some travellers who were still waiting for refunds from flights that were cancelled in March and claimed that airlines had reneged on promises made to the regulator.

By law, refunds for cancelled flights should be paid within seven days, but the unprecedented number of refund requests due to coronavirus has meant this has taken much longer for many.

Many firms offered vouchers for cancelled flights, but if customers request a cash refund the companies should pay. Which? said it was concerned that the ongoing situation could set a precedent which sees airlines continue to treat customers unfairly.

Rory Boland, from Which?, said: "Time after time, Which? has exposed airlines breaking the law on refunds for cancelled flights due to the pandemic and treating their passengers unfairly, and we're concerned that they now feel empowered to do as they please without fear of punishment."

He added that passengers should be able to rely on the regulator and that it should be given the "tools it needs" to hold airlines to account.

Andrew McConnell, of the Civil Aviation Authority, thanked Which? for its continued engagement on an "important matter".

He added: "While our initial review has concluded, we have been clear that we will continue to monitor performance closely and should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made to us, we will take further action as required."

Which? said some Ryanair customers were waiting for refunds from March having been sent a voucher.

Ryanair said it would respond to a request for comment but had not done so by the time of going to press.

Which? said it had spoken to Virgin Atlantic customers waiting longer than 120 days for a refund.

The airline said it was aware of a small number of cases where refund requests were "incorrectly inputted" but that these had now been resolved and a refund paid.

A spokesman said refunds systems were "complex" but that it had reduced the expected waiting time for August claims to 80 days. It hopes to reduce this to 60 days for claims filed next month and 30 days for October.