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‘Refund Us. Reform Travel’ campaign launches
Which? has started a petition to get the government to reform travel to avoid a repeat of the current ‘unacceptable’ refund situation faced by consumers who have had plans cancelled.
The consumer champion said: "Four months into the coronavirus pandemic, we’re still hearing from hundreds of consumers who have yet to get money back for cancelled flights and holidays.
"Many people are simply being told that they have to wait until their refund can be processed, in some instances up to six months after they were meant to travel.
"Others are only being offered vouchers for future travel and are struggling to even claim a cash refund as an option.
"This is an unacceptable situation – lots of people are facing financial hardships of their own while companies are being allowed to openly break the law.
"Yet, the Government continues to be silent on the issue while the regulator has failed to hold law-breaking companies to account.
"Our ‘Refund Us. Reform Travel’ campaign is demanding that travel companies refund passengers immediately and, as international travel begins to re-open, the government takes urgent action to make sure passengers are never in this position again."
Which? received more than 12,000 complaints in six weeks from passengers struggling to get refunds for cancelled flights worth £5.6 million in total.
It says passengers are owed an average of £446.40, and have collectively spent a total of 52,000 hours – almost six years – trying to chase their airline for the money they are due.
It says trust in the airline industry is at an ‘all-time low’.
Read all about it here.
By Lisa James, Deputy Editor (UK)
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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