eDreams, Etraveli and Kiwi.com commit to refund within 14 days for cancelled flights
eDreams, Etraveli Group and Kiwi.com made new commitments during talks with the European Commission and the network of national consumer protection authorities (CPC Network). The major online travel agencies promise to better inform consumers in the event of flight cancellations. The agencies also committed to refunding cancelled tickets within 14 days (within 7 days of receiving the refund from the airline).
Online travel agencies
The European Commission and consumer authorities spoke with three major online travel agencies. These hold multiple brands:
- Kiwi.com
- eDreams OLIGEO: i.e. eDreams, Opodo, Go Voyages, Travellink and Liligo
- Etraveli Group: i.e. Mytrip, GotoGate, Flybillet, Flightnetwork, Supersavertravel, Seat24 and Travelstart.
The action originally also addressed the Dutch Otravo (i.e. Vliegtickets.nl and Schipholtickets.com). However, Otravo announced bankruptcy in December 2022.
Refunds for cancelled flights
European rules require airlines to refund tickets within 7 days of a flight cancellation. But if consumers booked their flight through an intermediary like an online travel agency, this refund often goes through the intermediary. This leads to delays for consumers. Intermediaries have therefore now committed to quicker refunds.
The European Commission and national authorities already made agreements with sixteen airlines regarding quicker refunds for cancelled flights in 2021.
Commitments
The following commitments were made:
- Online travel agencies will refund consumers for cancelled flights within 7 days of having received this refund from the airline. In practice this means consumers should be refunded within 14 days.
- Online travel agencies will take care of potential refund backlogs before 30 June 2023.
- Online travel agencies will mention contact details like an email address and phone number on the website.
- Online travel agencies will clearly inform passengers about the different services packages they offer.
- Online travel agencies will clearly inform passengers if their flight is cancelled.
- Online travel agencies will clearly inform passengers of their passenger rights if their flight is cancelled. They will inform passengers of their options to get a refund for the ticket or an alternative flight to their destination.
- Online travel agencies will inform passengers about the possible consequences of booking through an intermediary service in the event of a flight disruption. Is only one leg of the journey cancelled? Then it’s possible a passenger will still have to pay for the second leg of the journey. It is also possible that passengers’ contact details are not automatically shared with the airline.
Compliance
The Consumer Protection Cooperation Network will continue to monitor compliance with these agreements.
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