ANPC transmits below a very important announcement regarding air flights in Europe, it comes directly from the European Commission which says that after years and years of complaints, the airlines are finally agreeing to refund customers' money in a timely manner after the cancellation of a flight.
"Press release of the European Commission
Airlines are committed to timely reimbursement after flight cancellation
Following dialogues with the Commission and national consumer protection authorities, 16 major airlines have committed to providing better information and timely refunds to passengers in the event of flight cancellations. The Commission alerted consumer protection cooperation (CPC) enforcement authorities in December 2020 to address the cancellation and refund practices of several airlines in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said: "It is good news for consumers that the airlines have cooperated during the dialogues and committed to respecting passengers' rights and improving their communication. In the early phase of the pandemic, some airlines pushed vouchers on passengers. They were acting against EU consumer protection rules, which was unacceptable. Following our joint action, I am delighted that most of them have now agreed to refund these vouchers. I request the authorities to ensure that the other airlines also offer refunds for such vouchers. "
Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said: "I welcome the fact that most of the backlogs refunded have been cleared and that all the airlines involved have committed to resolving the remaining issues. This is crucial to restoring passenger confidence. The recovery of the air transport sector depends on this. This is why we are currently evaluating regulatory options to strengthen passenger protection against the coming crisis, as set out in our Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. "
Overview of Airline Commitments
Following the dialogues, these are the commitments made by the airlines:
• outstanding reimbursement arrears have been compensated in the vast majority of cases, and passengers will be reimbursed within 7 days, according to EU legislation;
• passengers will be more clearly informed about passenger rights in the event of flight cancellation by an airline;
• airlines will give equal importance on their websites, e-mails and other communications to passengers regarding the different options the passenger has in the event of flight cancellation by the airline: rerouting, cash refund and – if is provided by the airline – refund in a voucher;
• airlines, in their communications with passengers, will clearly distinguish flight cancellations made by the airline (and the passenger's legal rights arising from them), from flight cancellations made by the passenger (and the possible contractual rights may have the passenger in these cases, in the terms and conditions of the airline of transport);
• passengers can only be given vouchers if they expressly choose them. Most airlines have agreed that the unused vouchers that passengers in the early stages of the pandemic had to accept can be refunded in cash if the passenger so wishes;
• passengers who booked their flight through an intermediary and have difficulty obtaining a refund from the intermediary can contact the airline and request a direct refund. Airlines are expected to inform passengers of this possibility and any conditions for requesting a direct refund on their websites.
Next steps
The CPC network will now close its dialogues with all airlines, but will continue to monitor whether the commitments are implemented correctly. National authorities will decide how to deal with the outstanding issue of non-refundable vouchers that were sent to consumers in the early stages of the pandemic. The CPC Network will also share information on ongoing investigations by their members into possible unfair practices by certain intermediaries, particularly in the way they inform consumers about the terms and fees of their services.
Background
Given the continued difficult repayment conditions for consumers and following an alert from the EU consumer umbrella organization BEUC, the Commission alerted national authorities in December 2020.
In February 2021, the network of national consumer authorities led by six coordinating authorities – from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden – and with the support of the European Commission, requested information from the 16 airlines most frequently mentioned in complaints consumers.
The airlines involved in the dialogue were: Aegean Airlines, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Easyjet, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Ryanair, TAP, Vueling and Wizz Air.
This is the largest CPC action in the history of the CPC network and the first action that was based on an alert from the Commission. This alert was triggered by external alerts by BEUC and national consumer associations and a large number of complaints the Commission, European Consumer Centers and national authorities received about cancellation and refund practices related to COVID-19 of airlines.
The CPC action was based on the results of a survey launched earlier this year to collect airline data."
