Photographer: Ben Stansall / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Ben Stansall / AFP / Getty Images
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is not offering refunds to passengers who cancel year-end flights due to new UK coronavirus rules, even as regulators investigate how airlines have refused to pay. return to customers trapped in lockdown.
BA owned by IAG SA will issue ticket vouchers or allow them to move to a later date, he said in an emailed statement. They said it would only refund fares if the airline canceled a flight, a policy reiterated by Virgin Atlantic in Twitter role.
The fire-retardant case refuted when similar loops were in place last month. UK Competition and Markets Authority launched a probe last week on whether airlines were violating consumer rights by failing to give passengers their money back for flights they could not legally taken.
“Some airlines like EasyJet have generally been doing the right thing and offering a refund, but others like BA only offer a choice of voucher or rescheduling,” said Rory Boland, travel editor at consumer advocacy group Which ?. “The CMA investigation is looking at this in detail, as the wording for Stage 4 restrictions indicates that these are legal requirements, not guidelines and so you should be reimbursed.”
The latest travel rules came into effect Sunday, less than a day after they were announced, capturing many with vacation travel plans.
EasyJet Plc said it would issue a refund. “We recognize that some customers may now need to change their flights. ”
On Twitter, some passengers said Ryanair Holdings Plc and Aer Lingus refusing refunds.
Aer Lingus responded online by saying it would waive change fees, as long as it did not address its refund policy. The airline, which also owned IAG, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ryanair’s Irish reporter did not respond to requests for comment.
New strain
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the tightening on Saturday, in a bid to halt a rapid mutation of the coronavirus that is behind a rapid rise in cases in London. Movements were cut in the capital and much of the south-east of England, including access to foreign flights.
Customers walk on Regent Street in London on December 19th. New Level 4 will apply in the hotspots around the capital from Sunday.
Photographer: Wiktor Szymanowicz / NurPhoto / Getty Images
“People should think carefully about whether they need to travel abroad and follow the rules in their series,” Johnson said. “Those in Level 4 areas travel abroad will be permitted with a few exceptions, as for work purposes. “
Johnson’s crisis lockdown adds to pressure on Brexit talks
Johnson made it clear that the policy aims to stop holiday interactions that could spread the disease across families and loved ones.
While the flight restrictions will be similar to locking rules lifted earlier this month, the exceptions have not been clearly explained.
People living outside the area can move through Phase 4, which includes Heathrow and Luton airports, “but you should carefully consider whether you need to do so,” a according to advice on the government website.
The increase is A new virus strain has forced the government to make a sudden turn at the height of the Christmas travel season, after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps assured the public last week that so-called travel corridors will not be turned over for the next two weeks to reassure people about booking a holiday.
Some customers took to social media, with one Virgin Atlantic passenger saying yes able to get through to make changes to a scheduled flight for Sunday.
“While it is a very difficult situation for the government, the reality is that a number of people have made travel decisions based on government advice in recent weeks,” Boland said. “People will understand why this decision had to be made, but they will be angry that it was made so late in the day, abandoning plans to see a family in tattoos and another fight for a refund on flights. . ”
(Updates with Virgin Atlantic policy from the first paragraph)