Refund request for a flight cancelled and rebooked by airline pending while original date of travel comes closer. Should I contact the airline?
In January, I booked a return ticket from France to the UK via Schiphol with KLM. My journey was due to commence less than two weeks from now.
In June, the airline cancelled part of the journey (the first leg of the outbound flight) and automatically rebooked me on a different flight which would require a layover at Schiphol. Because the new schedule isn't viable for me, I submitted a refund request for the entire ticket. The airline sent me a case ID but no updates since.
I looked up the status of my booking and found all parts of my journey crossed out, whatever that means. There's also a note saying,
You're eliglible for a refund. Bear in mind that conditions vary, depending on who cancelled the flight (you or the airline) and when it was done.
Because I've already requested a refund, I didn't click Request a refund again.
Is it safe to wait for the airline to respond?
Or do I need to take further action before the original date of travel, and if yes, how?
To put it differently: Do I need to get approval of my refund request from the airline before the date of travel?
Best Answer
Is it safe to wait for the airline to respond?
Right now, airlines are doing everything they can to not hand over money to customers because they are bleeding operational funding due to the covid crisis - do NOT expect the airline to be proactive here.
Going by the EU261 rules, you should have received a refund within 7 days of submitting the request, because your refund was triggered by a schedule change the airline made.
If your flight is cancelled you have the right to choose between reimbursement, re-routing or return.
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If you were informed of the cancellation less than 14 days prior to the scheduled departure date, you have a right to compensation. The airline has the obligation to prove if and when you were personally informed that the flight was cancelled. If this is not the case you can contact your national authority for further assistance.
EU261 official guidance to passengers on their rights.
Article 8
Right to reimbursement or re-routing
- Where reference is made to this Article, passengers shall be offered the choice between:
(a) - reimbursement within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought, for the part or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan, together with, when relevant,
Or do I need to take further action before the original date of travel, and if yes, how?
Yes, badger the airline until you get the money in your account. Do not assume it will just happen.
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How long should I wait for a refund for a Cancelled flight?
Most often, it takes a few weeks to a few months to receive a flight refund. However, in some more complex cases, such as those including legal proceedings in court, the wait time might be longer \u2014 even up to a few years. Start your flight refund claim process before it's too late.Can I get compensation for a rebooked flight?
When a flight delay occurs, you are entitled to assistance and a choice between rerouting, reimbursement, or rebooking. If you arrive at your destination more than 3 hours after your scheduled arrival time, you are entitled to the same reimbursement, rerouting, and rebooking structure as a denied boarding.Will airline reimburse for Cancelled flight?
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.Do airlines have to give refunds due to Covid?
Airlines and ticket agents have a legal obligation to provide refunds to consumers if the airline cancels or significantly changes a consumer's flight. However, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines had difficulty processing the significant volume of refund requests that they received.Travel frustrations mount after weekend of canceled, delayed flights
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