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THE CONSUMER ASSOCIATION of Ireland (CAI) has called for the government to create a compensation fund to reimburse holidaymakers who have cancelled flights on foot of government travel advice.
On Monday, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan, reiterating official government advice on travel during the pandemic, urged people to consider cancelling holiday plans abroad despite the lifting of restrictions.
But this morning, Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme that people who cancel flights will not be refunded. The airline will begin to resume around 90% of its routes from today after effectively grounding its fleet in March as a result of the pandemic.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, CAI Policy and Council Advisor Dermot Jewell said that consumers are now faced with a dilemma. He confirmed that holidaymakers are not entitled to refunds if they cancel their booking and could “be left seriously out of pocket”.
“Why? Because they’ve broken their side of the contract,” he said.
“The airline is delivering… but they’re breaking their side of the contract, just by not going, and they’re not entitled to any refund.”
He explained that the Department of Foreign Affairs is not restricting travel to other countries because of the pandemic.
“What we’ve had is a pleading from Dr Holohan, saying, ‘Really, you should really think about not going.’ But that does not constitute an official state [order] ‘Do not go’.”
“So in the absence of that, everything is normal,” Jewell said.
He said that without state intervention, holidaymakers who wish to follow government advice have two options. They can cancel their flights and lose all their money or, alternatively, they can try to “engage with the airline”, to see if they can reschedule their trip, which might also cost money.
“In all honesty — and I have to say, I find it difficult to give this advice — but when you look at the lack of support from the state [for consumers] and the lack of advice, to lose a small amount of money by [rescheduling] your journey might be the better of the best of both worlds,” Jewell said.
“We’re just asking could the government not come up with some consideration or some form or support mechanism.”
This, he said, could take the form of some “small fund” to reimburse affected travellers.
“I know that it’s asking a lot, but… we’re inclined to feel that the consumer is the weak link at the end of a long chain of priority, and maybe it’s about time that some small fund was put in place,” he said.
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If one wants to stop Covid 19 being spread by people that travel the government as well as their health advisors should also discourage travel from other nations such as the UK and the US as they too risk in increasing the Covid rates in Ireland.
Like somebody said in another thread, no use in the Irish staying at home and supporting hotels while people coming from highly affected areas are sharing the same hotels and are not being forced to self-quarantine.
The governments advice and decisions are something akin to being semi-pregnant.
@George Vladisavljevic: That’s a fair point, especially the ‘just get a little pregnant’ bit. The other issue that needs to be addressed is who pays for this fund? Is it fair to expect the taxpayer to pay for it, should it be funded by a levy on all air travellers. Its hardly reasonable to ask those who don’t use air travel to pay into a fund compensating those who do.
@Arch Angel: but then why are people forced to pay a car insurance levy for victims of crashes with uninsured drivers. We are insured didn’t injure them. So your point is nonsense
its not ‘a small amount of money’. We due fly with Ryanair in few weeks, flight going ahead. We’re in no position to travel, two of us have high risk underlying conditions. 500 euro to change to next summer and another 500 for new flights. Ryanair refusing to listen to any reason. Insurance uninterested also
@Nick Gregan: We are in a similar situation. My daughter is insulin dependant diabetic so we can’t fly. We will lose the money which is over €900. Ryanair will not refund us. So we have to lose the money. Flights were booked in November before we knew about the virus.
@Decko49: did you try cancel those flights during the pandemic _ pretty sure they offered refund and or change voucher at no cost for rebooking future dates – I changed for both parents and ryanair obliged _ certainly any bookings made last november especially if you have a high risk member of family they were accommodating _ these newer problems are for people who decided not to change their plans in past few months but left the bookings in place and the flights are going ahead now
@Dave Hammond: When Was the flight you changed for your parents?
@Nick Gregan: when did yee book the flights ?
@Tom Dineen: Last summer Tom. I’m not looking for any taxpayers fund or anything like that, just a bit of fairness. If they even waived the change flights fee and I had to pay the extra for the new flights then I would be satisfied but as it stands going to be 1200 euro out of pocket.
@Nick Gregan: 1200 a lot to lose alright
@Nick Gregan: I would take vouchers or change to next year if I could change without a big charge too. But we were quoted up to €600 to change to next year
@Decko49: I wounder can you apply for chargeback with bank as there is a warning of non essential travel so you cant travel. Contact bank and see.
@Siobhan Rosemary: I paid by debit card. Can you do a charge back on a debit card?
@Nick Gregan: go to your doctor, get a letter stating that due to your medical conditions, he strongly recommends that you do not travel, get on the Ryanair chat line and they will ask you the forward the letter and you will get a refund, just make sure that the Dr words it strongly and you will get a refund I did it and I got it, so good luck with that
@Timothy Culligan: Thanks. I got that letter today Timothy and forwarded it on but feel curiously void of hope based on any other attempts I have had to explain the situation to them
@Timothy Culligan: How long did it take? I’ve done that but waiting for a reply.
@Decko49: you can with a debit or credit card.
@Decko49: like them or not can you really say Ryanair should be responsible like all other airlines they’ve lost billions on this pandemic if they are not flying by all means they should refund you already some airlines are gone bust and staff has lost jobs if they were to refund everyone who decides not to fly then there will be a lot more and as said like them or hate them if budget airlines go under we won’t be going anywhere soon as it is Airlingus
charge nearly double and in last few years their standards have dropped and worse then Ryanair for getting refund but as is said in article the government has not stopped people flying it’s just nphet recommending you don’t but remember the likes of Tony Holohan can afford to be at a lose easy for him to say
@Decko49: Get a letter from your doctor that your daughter can not fly due to medical reasons. I had to cancel a few years ago a trip to Italy as my son had a DKA. Once we had the letter that he couldn’t travel the insurance fully refunded us.
Hope you get sorted.
I love how these people think it’s the taxpayers job to bail everyone out. If you choose not to travel that’s on you.
Just phuckk right 0ff
We have a family holiday booked for October, really starting to get anxious around going now. To be honest if we could get our money back we would. But airlines and travel company don’t want to hear about it. We booked last year before any of this pandemic started, before people start saying “why did you book knowing what was going on”. If public health and government don’t want people traveling abroad. Just make it government policy and allow people to get their money back in our case is in the thousands. I would gladly spend that money at home over the summer supporting the local economy.
@Paul Hennessy: hi Paul, we had booked and paid for a family holiday last January. It was for September. I contacted our travel agent two months ago and they said I could cancel the holiday and leave a credit with them, with a view to rebooking with them at a time that suits us. They gave us a money back option with a loss of deposit of 500e. Your travel company should offer something similar.
At this stage, if the government will continue their diatribe on international flights they should shut down the airports for commercial flights, compensate airlines their staff and those who have flights and holidays booked.
I understand people may not feel confortable flying, but it is also important to consider the livelihood of people woking in the tourism and aviation industry. Quarantine or shutting down flights will put Ireland severely behind other European countries. People who don’t want to travel will not be forced to travel, if there are health reasons they should be compensated or facilitated a change. Those who just don’t want to travel, that’s a different matter. Its a personal choice.
In any case, rather than creating unnecessary problems, the goverment should be providing guidelines on safe travelling, help develop a list of safer countries and put thier money where their mouth is.
@Pablo Rojas Coppari: have you any idea how much that would cost? I think there are a lot more serious issues where our money needs to be spent
@sjr: then they should shut up and let those who want to fly do so rather than trying to guilt-trip.
@Pablo Rojas Coppari: precisely. That and the people that simply do not understand the implications in unemployment tragedy of 250k direct jobs lost and the lack of tax revenue . I sincerely think people haven’t grasped the consequences of closing the country until a vaccine is found. Only when there’s no money to pay for a health service or for furlough will they understand we can’t keep this up. The lockdown was only ever a measure to flatten the curve, which we did.
If you contact chargeback in your bank they will refund you. I got back €435 from it. It does take a few weeks but it’s worth it. To hell with ScamAir!!!!
@Are You For Real: only if the flight is cancelled though is it?
@Are You For Real: Does that work in the case of flights? Was told that you cant use chargeback for flights that are going ahead. I knew some people who used it to get their money quicker after their flights were cancelled. Seems nuts the way you get locked into a flight ‘contract’. Most other things you can book them and then cancel if you change your mind/circumstances change etc. You don’t get charged for a meal or a haircut you cancel
@Nick Gregan: Flights are mad….there are so many different classes of seat…your seat could end up being more expensive than the person beside yours because of carriage classes….then there’s refundable flights non refundable flexible flights and basic economy non refundable….it’s why still using a travel agent can be useful at times.
@Nick Gregan: no harm in trying, if there is a travel warning in place then that is a good enough reason to expect tour money back if the airline is not changing flight dates free of charge.
Just get on the plane and go ffs. Get back to normal. Infectious disease specialist from the Mater this morning said so long as precautions are take there is no risk!
I enjoy travelling myself but if the virus is being imported more than it is being spread in the community, give me shut borders and a semblance of normality in Ireland and I will gladly take it. The issue with our government’s deference to the zero risk assessments of the health authorities is that we are now viewing everything as an equal threat. International travel, sports, pubs, schools… Very unique circumstances to each.
@EnKy: that is not true . Most trava is soon is in the community and health care facilities . Travel related cases are marginal.
@Isabel Oliveira: transmission
The government needs to stop all travel overseas for holiday purposes. That would force the airlines into refunding customers. It’s not right for the airlines to simply say the flight is going ahead safe in the knowledge that people won’t fly.
Ryanair does it again. They are so disconnected from reality and lack caring for their customers. So they are saying consumers will be cancelling their contract if they don’t feel like flying because of the pandemic. But when THEY broke their side of the contract when cancelling flights consumers got no refund and no further correspondence. They just get away with it either way.
You want Taxpayers that never had a overseas trip to pay for people who have Two or Three overseas Holidays a year.
If people are out of pocket that’s bad, but its not the taxpayers problem, there’s better things the state cam apend tax payers money on.
People who wan’t to travel should go to Egypt because they are obviously in Denial of this Disease.
Dddd
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