Vouchers or Refunds for Cancelled Plane Tickets-No Easy Choice For European Carriers

When it comes to the protection of consumer rights, Europe or America lead the path. However, in the situation arising out of the Covid 19 outbreak relating to the precarious situation of the airline business, even the Europeans lawmakers are facing the heat. It is a well-established fact that airlines are in a difficult spot. It is the biggest peacetime crisis being faced by the carriers. Every effort is being made to preserver the cash and retain some liquidity so as to pay the staff and carry out other necessary works during the period of lockdown in this crisis. And, one of the elements in this effort to preserve cash is not to refund the passengers, at least for some time in present. Passengers are seeking to get the refunds for plane tickets they booked. Airlines are offering vouchers. EU law says that vouchers are to be provided only when passengers want these in place of refund amount.

Despite knowing the law well, majority of the European carriers, large or small, are not offering refunds, thereby violating the law. Some of these carriers plead that they are not violation of the law but are offering deferment of refunds for 1 year to passengers and will refund the same money if they do not use the vouchers within a year. However, experts point that action on part of the carriers is violation per se. There cannot be an escape from the truth.

Passengers are a concerned lot. They feel cheated because the airlines are not returning the money they took towards flight booking, even when the law says so. They contend that even their own condition requires having money at hand to spend on necessities. When airlines are refusing refunds in this time of need, this gesture is not going down well with the passengers as well as with the lawmakers of Europe.

Quite understandably, airlines might be required to change their policy and begin granting refund reimbursements.