Connecting flight got cancelled after first leg of journey. Am I entitled to a full refund?

I booked via kiwi.com a one-way ticket from Nanning to London. When I bought the ticket, I also bought travel insurance from the agency as well.The flights were:

Nanning -> Shanghai (Spring airlines)

Shanghai -> Hong Kong (Hong Kong Airlines)

Hong Kong -> London (Cathay Pacific)

After flying the first leg, I was told that the flight from Shanghai to HK wasn't available at the airport. In the end I bought a new ticket at the airport to London. This was around 2 weeks ago and I've since contacted the travel agency and insurance company (AXA).

The travel agency has an automated refunds system which says it will contact each carrier separately to obtain refunds and will take up to 3 months. It also mentions I could end up with nothing refunded and I will not be entitled to any further refunds once I apply. I contacted the UK branch of AXA (the travel agency links to the Czech branch of AXA) and filed a claim with them. I'm wondering if I should just issue a chargeback from my credit card company for the booking or should I wait for the my claim to be processed? If the claim fails then what would I be entitled to, if anything?

Thanks

uk cancellations connecting-flights refunds

Best Answer

If I were you I would do the credit card chargeback just to be on the safe side. The reason is Hong Kong Airlines is not a European airline and it was not destined to come to the UK and thus they are not obliged under EU law to give compensation. They actually know this but they wouldn't say it.

Same thing happened to me with Turkish airlines from Istanbul to Nairobi but when I called their offices in Manchester, they booked me a hotel overnight in Istanbul and scheduled a flight the following day.

I would trust your instincts on this because I'm not sure how much the travel insurance would pay.

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Can I get a full refund if one leg of my flight is Cancelled?

If your flight is cancelled. You have the legal right to either: a full refund - including other flights from the airline that you won't use in the same booking such as onward or return flights. a replacement flight to get you to your destination.

What happens if my connecting flight is Cancelled?

What should I do if my flight is canceled? If your flight is canceled by the airline, you will either be accommodated on a later flight or, if you decide not to travel, you are entitled to a full refund under federal law. If the flight had multiple stops, you would be refunded for the unused portion of the flight.

What happens if one leg of flight is Cancelled?

If one leg of a flight is canceled or passengers bailout, then the whole package can be voided at the carrier's discretion. This applies to multi-leg flights across the USA, as well as international flights involving American companies.

Can I get a refund if part of my flight is Cancelled?

You can get your money back for any part of the ticket you haven't used. So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded. If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight.

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