Travellers are now faced with as much, if not more uncertainty than airlines. Jobs are at stake, finances uncertain and the future equally so. Airlines operating flights from the European Union, or on an EU based airline must offer customers a full refund, if their flight is cancelled, but with 90% of flights out of service, that’s creating even more dire finances for airlines.
To incentivize customers to allow Aer Lingus to hold the money, the airline is offering a voucher + 10%, if you don’t take the refund. Better yet, it’s valid for 5 years…
Rights Vs Options
Your rights presently allow any AerLingus customer whose flight has been cancelled to seek a full refund, but Aer Lingus is sweetening the deal if you don’t. Even if your flight isn’t cancelled though, Aer Lingus is offering you a voucher + 10% if you were due to travel between March 21st and the 31st of May 2020.
That’s the kind of thinking passengers deserve, and it may help Aer Lingus immensely. For clarity sake, it would mean if you had a $1000 flight booked with the airline, you’d be offered a voucher for $1100.
The voucher can also be used anywhere in the Aer Lingus network, not just the route you had booked, which is an important distinction given uncertainty with so many destinations at this point.
Fight For Survival
Obviously, many customers face equally if not more uncertain times than airline, as the effective of world health concerns begins to sink into its economies. If you’re one of those people and desperately need to recover funds for a trip you won’t be taking, that options still exists…
But…
But if you’re in a stable position, like Aer Lingus and don’t mind seeing a 10% maturity on your funds for future travel, when the world does return to normalcy and safety, it’s a great incentive to support the airline and also get a little boost for yourself.
If airlines want to keep customers from pulling cash out, this seems like a really fair and equitable way to do so, while encouraging future travel. Eventually, we’ll all be back in the skies. With any hope, other airlines will seek to offer creative ways to shore up the near term cash crunch with options like this.
Your article says “an EU based airline must offer customers a full refund, if their flight is cancelled”. Can I ask where this is stated? Currently Air Portugal TAP is only offering vouchers for all of their cancelled flights. I wish they followed Aer Lingus’s model if they are struggling to offer full refunds to everyone. But in the meantime, is there a way I can fight them to get my flights refunded?
I believe it’s linked in the post, but if you google “Europa 261” you should see the updated guidance.
We were due to travel from Edinburgh to Miami on the 18th Match 2020. By the 16th March the US had banned travel by UK residents and UK FCO advised against flying for next 30 days. I would like a refund rather than voucher or date change. This is not being offered at present.
Just read this post. Our date is June 4, Boston to Paris, 4 of us. We certainly hope we have this offer. When do you think it’s a reasonable date to pursue this?
I booked my sister and myself for a trip to Ireland from the US for June 16th. We are both on the same reservation number. I have been offered the voucher plus 10 percent.
If I accept the voucher they will send the voucher and pin to me.
Will I be able to arrange this trip in the future with my sister with this voucher or will I be the only person able to make a trip using the voucher.