Flight cancelled? You can always request a refund from airlines!
If you booked a flight through a travel agent and the flight was cancelled by the airline, it is sometimes difficult to get your money back. Because who is responsible for the refund? And what if the travel agent or airline goes bankrupt? Do you still get your money back? We explain!
Your passenger rights
If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to rebook your flight or to a refund for the cost of the ticket within 7 days after the cancellation of the flight. Are you opting for a refund? Then the airline is responsible for refunding you, regardless of whether you booked via a travel agent or directly through the airline. The money is always paid into the same bank account from which you paid for the ticket.
Refund
If you booked a flight through a travel agent and the flight was cancelled by the airline, there are two ways you can request a refund. Directly from the airline, or via the travel agent. In case of the latter, you give the travel agent permission to collect the money on your behalf. If you choose to contact the airline directly, they may not refer you back to the travel agent.
Bear in mind that if you ask the travel agent to collect the money for you, it can take longer than if you request a refund directly from the airline. The 7-day period for refunding the cost of the ticket after cancellation does not apply to travel agents. Only to airlines.
Unexpected (administration) costs
If you give the travel agent permission to collect the money from the airline on your behalf and the travel agent charges you for this, they must be transparent about it and inform you of the charges prior to the booking. The travel agent may not impose all kinds of costs on you after the fact.
Bankruptcy
If the travel agent goes bankrupt, the airline remains responsible for refunding your ticket. Even if the airline has already paid the money to the travel agent. If the travel agent goes bankrupt, contact the airline and inform them you are entitled to a refund. The airline must then refund you within 7 days. Does the airline say the curator must make a judgement about the refund? Then lodge a claim with the curator too, just to be sure.
Template letter
Is the airline refusing to honour your request for a refund? Then let the airline know you disagree. Use our letter template for this: ‘Cancelled flight: request a refund from the airline’. Available for download in two languages (NL & EN).
Report violations
Is an airline not abiding by the rules? Report it to the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate. The supervisory authority can take enforcement action against airlines that refer you back to the travel agent for a refund. Or against airlines that fail to refund you within 7 days.
Help from the ECC
If you live in the Netherlands and have a complaint about an overseas airline based in another EU country, Norway, Iceland or the UK, ask our legal experts for help.