# Aer Lingus and Ryanair refunding volcano affected flights



## Brendan Burgess (15 Apr 2010)

Aer Lingus is allowing all customers affected by cancelled flights to rebook or claim a refund

http://www.aerlingus.com/cgi-bin/obel01im1/Services/disruption_1504.jsp?P_OID=0&Category=3

Ryanair is allowing a full refund or a customer can book the next available flight
http://www.ryanair.com/ie/notices/gops/100414-ICELAND_ASH-GB


----------



## dmos87 (15 Apr 2010)

I have to say its being dealt with superbly from where Im standing. Cork Airport, while all UK flights are grounded, are still running smoothly and all customers are being dealt with quickly. I know its smaller than Dublin but we receive a large amount of UK flights - when I heard the news this morning I assumed we would be tearing busy all day!


----------



## ACA (15 Apr 2010)

Does anyone know if the full refund applies due to the circumstances. I was booked to fly out of Dublin tonight to London and never take out insurance for such a short hop - can I expect anything back from Ryanair?


----------



## Mpsox (15 Apr 2010)

ACA said:


> Does anyone know if the full refund applies due to the circumstances. I was booked to fly out of Dublin tonight to London and never take out insurance for such a short hop - can I expect anything back from Ryanair?


 
I'd imagine so since British air space is closed until 7am Friday at the earliest


----------



## ACA (15 Apr 2010)

I saw that just now on Sky News Mpsox - but Ryanair have a link on their website regarding EU regulations, last paragraph on 1st page [broken link removed] that concerns me!!

If nothing else would I be entitled to the tax back?


----------



## pikku (16 Apr 2010)

*Booked on aerlingus through a tour operator*

hi - Im booked on a tour operators flight to the Canaries, which is looking like it will get cancelled. The tour operator informed me this morning that they wont be refunding ANYTHING - not the flight, nor the accomodation as it is excluded under 'Force Majeure'.
CAn this be so? I doubt i'll be able to claim back from Aer Lingus directly as the tour operator had chartered the flight from them. So it seems we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. have travel insurance, but that will probably only cover the cost of the accomodation, if anything...


----------



## jhegarty (16 Apr 2010)

I don't think that 'Force Majeure' clause would stand up in court.

Any change you paid via credit card ?


----------



## oldnick (16 Apr 2010)

Tour operators always use this excuse. They are wrong, but they manage to put off people by quoting that phoney force majeure excuse. 
Also, the slowness and cost of Irish justice is such that many customers just give up.

Most booking conditions do state that due to force majeure a client is not entitled to "compensation".  That is correct. Nor are you entitled to extra expenses as a result of such a cancellation .other than what yoyu originall paid.
*But customers ARE entitled to a refund.*

You may wish to check what i say with the National Consumer Agency 1890 432 432
-they have a good website with an easy to read outline of your rights in these situations. 

One ominous last word - if this situation continues for long some tour operators and airlines won't be around to refund anything.....


----------



## redchariot (17 Apr 2010)

Just wondering if anybody tried to claim from Travel insurance over this.

It would be interesting to see whether claims would be upheld as this disruption would probably be classed as "an act of god" and then somewhere in the small print it may be excluded.


----------



## emerof (18 Apr 2010)

*refund of flight cancellation*

Hi is anyone having trouble getting on to the site to claim the refund. Expected that it will be difficult OK. Have filled out the form several times over the last few days but have no idea if  it has been accepted. I suppose I should just have patience. At least I am lucky - I did not actually travel this weekend. I knew that my flights were cancelled before I let home.


----------



## Bronco Lane (18 Apr 2010)

Which site?


----------



## rgfuller (19 Apr 2010)

emerof said:


> Hi is anyone having trouble getting on to the site to claim the refund. Expected that it will be difficult OK. Have filled out the form several times over the last few days but have no idea if it has been accepted. I suppose I should just have patience. At least I am lucky - I did not actually travel this weekend. I knew that my flights were cancelled before I let home.


 
If it was Aerlingus - check your Email "Sent Items" folder as their refund form basically sends an email with all the details you entered.


----------



## Lsquared (19 Apr 2010)

I am in a weird situation regarding applying for the Ryanair refund for cancelled flights on Friday 16 April as my destination is not featured on the drop down menu on the Ryanair website. I had ticket from Dublin to Cork to Dublin and you woulndt believe this but Cork does not feature on the list of cities they fly to! As I cant input Cork  from the drop down menu, I cant progress the application. Has anyone else encountered something like this? I faxed a letter to the customer refunds section but I dont hold out much hope that I will get an answer.


----------



## Gervan (19 Apr 2010)

Yes, this nearly threw me. 
Cork is in the drop down list, but not alphabetically, somewhere quite far down the list. Between Porto and Osijek.
Same with destination (mine was Liverpool). Not alphabetical in that list either. I wondered was it deliberate? One never knows with Ryanair.


----------



## cmacgc (19 Apr 2010)

My aer lingus flight from Dublin tomorrow has been cancelled.

Does anyone know if there's a time limit on applying for the refund or  the changing flights fee waiver? 

Do I have to sort it out before the flight was due to depart?

It would actually suit me to wait a while as I'm not sure what date will  suit to change to. If I just cancel get a refund and rebook I could get  stung with a fairly hefty price increase.


----------



## BOXtheFOX (20 Apr 2010)

I am in a similar situation. Ryanair has cancelled all flights until 1p.m on Wednesday. I am due to fly out on Wednesday but after 1.p.m. I need to know what the story is today because I have 3 different hotels booked in 3 different cities that need to be cancelled today/now.
If I reschedule my flight for early May, I'm not even sure if that is allowed or if there will be flights available on the new dates that I choose, I then have to re book all of the hotels at the higher May prices. And again they may not be available.
I was disappointed that Ryanair had no update on it's website this morning. We need regular daily/hourly updates not updates every two days.


----------



## Emma1980 (20 Apr 2010)

oh god i hope this doesn't last much longer, i'm due to fly to madrid two weeks on saturday for my 30th birthday


----------



## shesells (20 Apr 2010)

Gervan said:


> Yes, this nearly threw me.
> Cork is in the drop down list, but not alphabetically, somewhere quite far down the list. Between Porto and Osijek.
> Same with destination (mine was Liverpool). Not alphabetical in that list either. I wondered was it deliberate? One never knows with Ryanair.



It's to do with the airport code...Cork is ORK. Some of the codes are logical, DUB is Dublin but Almeria is LEI


----------



## Lsquared (20 Apr 2010)

Thanks for helping me find Cork! Have just completed the refund request. I dont know how my eyes missed it but I guess my brain never expected to pick it up after Porto.


----------



## fizzelina (20 Apr 2010)

I have a problem on Ryanair site as the refund will go to original method of payment which was a Halifax visa since closed! Tried calling and e-mailing them, no answer. Don't know how to get through to them. My return leg was with Aer Lingus and tried to fill in the form and it didn't send so I just sent an email and we'll see how they reply, dont want refund to original method Halifax visa so looking to actually speak to someone and phones not answering!


----------



## Black Sheep (20 Apr 2010)

Has anyone found a time limit for applying for a refund. I was due to fly today returning next tuesday. Return flight has not been cancelled but may be.
Would I be better waiting until after Tuesday to apply and perhaps get refunded for both sections


----------



## ACA (22 Apr 2010)

Got a lovely email from Ryanair saying that the cost of my cancelled flight would be refunded in full to the card that I paid with within 5-7 working days.

Happy days!! Just thought I'd share 

Just checked the Visa and it's in already.... even happier days


----------



## fizzelina (23 Apr 2010)

fizzelina said:


> I have a problem on Ryanair site as the refund will go to original method of payment which was a Halifax visa since closed! Tried calling and e-mailing them, no answer. Don't know how to get through to them. My return leg was with Aer Lingus and tried to fill in the form and it didn't send so I just sent an email and we'll see how they reply, dont want refund to original method Halifax visa so looking to actually speak to someone and phones not answering!


 
The update here is Aer Lingus sent back an automated e-mail saying I should get a reply in 28 days. Got speaking to someone in Ryanair call centre today and I have to write or fax a letter to Customer Service Dept with the reservation number and details that the Visa account was closed including proof in the form of a Visa statement/letter and then they would send a cheque. When I said I wasn't giving them my Visa statement and was it not enough to just ask for a cheque she said they'd probably want the proof!


----------



## TLC (23 Apr 2010)

Sorry if this the wrong thread - anyone any idea about a honeymoon booked thru Trailfinders - flights to NY & Miami, hotel the lot!  My son married last weekend & ended up canceling their planned trip, where to have gone to London Monday then NY, as they had not chance of getting out until the following week at the earliest (and no guarantee about that either). Tailfinders told them they would lose the hotel & internal US flights anyway, so as they could have lost them again the following week if they didn't get out, they decided to scrub the lot.  They did take out the more expensive insurance when booking but were not getting any real help from the company.  They have now taken the ferry to France for a week & decided to fight with the travel company/insurance company on their return - as they wanted some sort of peace while away.  Anyone any thoughts or ideas on their rights?


----------



## oldnick (23 Apr 2010)

I've outlined in another thread the that if one books a "pre-arranged package" then one is entitled to a full refund -nothing else if cancellation is due to force majeure.
(A pre-arranged package is one in which the package organiser has already bought the flight, hotels,cruise places, coach-tour etc etc and outs them togetehr for sale ,usually in a brochure).

If one books different elements with a travel agent that have  not been pre-arranged -which I imagine is your case - then in cases of force majeure you have no rights.
That is, if the travel company put together different flights and hotels as per clients requests then its bad luck for the clients.

Its confusing a  if you google Package Holiday Act it may make it clearer.

However, having said all that - I frankly cant imagine that Trailfinders really lost money on the hotels. The internal flights maybe but not the trans-atlantic ones -which certainly they should not pay.
I am a midget compared to the giant that is Trailfinders and I only had a few clients who had booked hotels abroad  (besides those who had booked  tour operator packages) but in every case not one hotel charged me for the clients who could not get there due to the ash crisis. 
So i rebooked them all at a later day -most have now gone - with no loss to them on flights or hotels, just exhaustion on my staffs part.

However, the hotels did have the right at the last moment to say "sorry cant refund" but, other than deducting a  day or so, it would have be awful  to charge for every day in the hotels,

I really believe Trailfinders will rebook at a "reasonable" loss (internal flights and maybe a day or so in hotels).

Regarding the insurance company -no idea; I thought I sold a great policy ,covered "natural catastrophies" but named them -flood, earthquakes, storms,avalanches - and did not name volcanoes. in exclusion clauses it excludes "anything not specifically named".

I think 99% of people -maybe 100% got caught out there and I feel annoyed about, except of the eighty odd people who booked  half stuck abroad half couldn't get outwith me not one actually lost money, even though they were greatly inconvenienced, often upset, and some had to cancel.

Am only writing these posts to get anxiety of last week of my chest -then back to sleep !!


----------



## TLC (23 Apr 2010)

Oldnick - many thanks for the information much appreciated - now go to sleep!


----------



## tyrekicker (26 Apr 2010)

*Refund form gone from Aer Lingus website*

Does anyone know if Aer Lingus have removed the refund form from their website? Can't find it. Hope they're not trying to wriggle out of refunding customers.


----------



## d2x2 (30 Jul 2010)

They are certainly making it difficult for people to get their money back. We made a request for refund on the 18th April and nothing happened. 

We made the request through the website again. Nothing.

We phoned and waited and waited and waited. We phoned again and were told there was no record of the request (that's last week) but that a new one was opened now.  

This week we phoned again (and waited and waited) to be told that they don't have access to past booking cancellations and that they would have to check on Monday and call back. Do I believe they will? Am I that naive? Hmmmm. Funny is that I also had to identify the passenger, the flight, routed, date of flight this time around whereas last week the boooking reference was sufficient. But I digress.

*Just wondering if anybody else has been subjected to the same difficulties in getting their money back? Or perhaps can anybody share a tale of hope with a happy ending?*

Thanks


----------



## chuckie (4 Aug 2010)

*Aer Lingus Cancellations & Refunds*

d2x2, Yes I am also having problems getting my money back from Aer Lingus for flights cancelled during the volcanic eruptions in April. They are certainly making it difficult. Firstly they have set up the refund website such that you can only send e-mails using a proper e-mail client. Using a web-based e-mail account will not work. Secondly I have tried to ask them about the refund through e-mail and have had little success. They keep asking for the details, which I keep sending, but I get no reply.

I think the only way to proceed is to lodge a complaint with the EU commission. There is a pdf document you can download to do this. I am currently going down this road as I do not want to waste any more time with the nice approach. Hope this advice helps!


----------

