UK: Airlines must be penalised for refusing Covid refunds, says consumer group

Airlines like Virgin Atlantic and BA should face “strong action” from regulators for refusing to issue refunds to customers complying with England’s new tier 4 Covid restrictions, consumer advocates have said. Virgin Atlantic has told customers it will offer full cash refunds only if flights are cancelled by the airline. Travellers who are hit by new tier 4 restrictions and follow the new stay-home orders in south-east England will, however, be allowed to rebook their flight fee-free on only two occasions until December 2022, or transfer the ticket to another person. BA is sticking to a similar policy that only lets customers rebook for free or request a voucher to travel at a later date. “As always, if a customer’s flight is cancelled they are entitled to a full refund or a voucher,” the airline said. Ryanair is also refusing to offer refunds, saying customers booked on to UK flights between 20 and 24 December would be allowed only to move their booking fee-free to any date before 15 March, unless flights are cancelled or banned by EU governments. The consumer rights group Which? said airlines who fail to offer full refunds should face strong repercussions by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Meanwhile, the discount airline easyJet is offering full refunds for customers affected by the new tier 4 restrictions, as well as vouchers and fee-free rebooking, regardless of whether flights are cancelled.<br/>