Travel

Brits slam travel firms as they battle to get refunds for Easter holidays cancelled due to coronavirus


FURIOUS holidaymakers yesterday hit out at travel firms as they battled to get refunds for Easter breaks.

Social media was flooded with complaints claiming budget airlines are dragging their heels over repayments.

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 Many Brits are having to battle to get refunds for their cancelled Easter holidays
Many Brits are having to battle to get refunds for their cancelled Easter holidaysCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

EasyJet has been forced to ground its entire fleet of 344 aircraft.

It waived the fees it normally charges to change flights and is offering vouchers for future travel.

But many suffering cash woes after losing their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis say they need money now.

The airline has removed the “refund” button from its website and is directing customers to a busy call centre.

One person on social media asked: “@easyJet why have you changed your app so you can no longer request a refund online?

“Your phone number is a joke it’s not even manned it’s a recorded message when you eventually get through!”

A woman named Donna added: “Getting frustrated by @easyJet now. I know the lines are busy but every time I ‘get through’ the voice says ‘to save you waiting in a queue, call back later’ and cuts you off.”

 Brits arrived back in the county after being repatriated from Peru
Brits arrived back in the county after being repatriated from PeruCredit: PA:Press Association

I’ve got a flight booked – how do I get a refund from easyJet?

EasyJet says customers with a cancelled flight will be entitled to either a full refund, a voucher for the value of their original booking, or an alternative flight of the same price.

The airline says affected customers will be contacted to discuss their options.

You can also contact easyJet yourself, but the airline has warned that customers are experiencing long waits on the phone due to the huge number of disrupted flights.

EasyJet said: “We are experiencing higher than average wait times so we would thank customers for their patience and assure them that these entitlements will be available long after their cancelled flight has flown.”

EasyJet’s customer service team can be contacted on 0330 365 5000.

Alternatively, if you’re struggling to reach an agreement with easyJet, you can escalate your claim to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body.

Many are also worried travel firms offering credit notes could go under taking their money with them.

One social media user explained:  “No refunds only credit to be used or charge us to rebook! Vouchers are worthless if you go bust!”

Meanwhile, airlines and officials are still working to get tens of thousands of Brits stranded abroad home following a statement by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The Foreign Secretary told the nation that British Airways, Easyjet, Jet2 and Virgin will work together to get Brits home, and extra flights will be chartered where commercial flights have all been cancelled.

He explained: “I can today announce a new arrangement from Government and airlines to fly home tens of thousands of people where commercial flights are no longer possible.”

“The arrangements agreed today will provide a clearer basis to organise special charter flights where Britons find themselves stranded. Our priority will always be the most vulnerable.”

Already 150,000 have come back from Spain, 8,500 people have come back from Morocco, and 5,000 from Cyprus – showing the huge scale of the problem.

The first repatriation flight from Peru landed in London on Monday, with two more planned later this week.

Almost 300 Brits returned home from Mexico yesterday, the final flight repatriating 45,000 TUI holidaymakers.

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TUI has now grounded its fleet of 58 jets.

The tour operator is also suspending all hotel stays, package holidays and cruises until further notice.

The German-based tour company said it is stopping most of its operations until further notice and applying for government help in light of the deepening coronavirus crisis.

Virus expert Dr Devi Sridhar on coronavirus spread danger of international flights

 





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