Thai Airways customers in limbo after refunds put on hold

Thousands of passengers who had flights cancelled last year by Thai Airways will have to wait another three months to discover whether they will be refunded or have lost their money. The airline has faced financial problems since last spring, leaving a trail of passengers who had flights cancelled waiting for refunds. Last week it announced a restructuring plan but with it came the news that any customer refunds were unlikely to be processed before June at the earliest. Some passengers have been waiting almost a year to get their money back from the Thai national carrier, which continues to take new bookings. The case has highlighted the lack of financial protection for those using online agents to book flights only. Customers who had booked flights and accommodation from an agent were protected by the package holiday rules, as were those who bought flights directly from the Thai Airways website and paid by credit card. However, those who used an online travel agent to book flights but organised their accommodation separately will have to claim on their travel insurance – and will be successful only if they bought one of the 50% of policies that pay out in such circumstances. Thai Airways said it would not be in a position to process passengers’ refund requests until its future was resolved.<br/>