BigRedBears

Hi,
I had booked a Basic with Vueling BCN-RAK and added a checked bag for a fee.
I no longer need this ticket and would like to cancel it. In the past I have been successful with other European airlines with getting a refund for various taxes and fees. ITA Matrix shows following breakdown of taxes and fees:

VY YQ surcharge (YQ) €22.00
Spain Departure Charge (JD) €18.61
Spain Security Tax (QV) €3.78
Spain Aviation Safety And Security Fee (OG) €0.59

I also paid for a checked bag
Checked bag €20.00

Can I request a refund for these taxes and fees? Has anyone been successful? If yes, should I call or email them?

Thanks

p.s. I also have a similar question re: EasyJet though this is not the right thread for it.

craigthemif

I have asked once or twice before and never been successful. Vueling generally will do anything (i.e. do nothing, ignore emails, reply with standard form not actually answering query, etc.) to avoid paying EU compensation or provide refunds of any kind.

If the flight isn't imminent, you can hang on and hope for a serious schedule change and then request a full refund when you might have better luck. Coincidentally I had that happen on a RAK-BCN, although booked as an IB codeshare, and I received all of my money back.

BigRedBears

Figured as much. Did your flight have a schedule change or how did you get IB to issue you a refund?

I actually need to book BCN-ZRH instead and wondering if I should do LX or VY. Price is roughly the same, but I can book VY as IB/BA. Not sure if my AA EXP benefits would apply if I did that. I just need a free checked bag/cabin bag.

craigthemif

Schedule change... It went from a reasonable daytime flight to some stupid 2 a.m. arrival to BCN. Easy to argue the new time didn't work and they needed to refund me, which wasn't a problem (with IB).

If you book VY flights via IB, they are usually changeable for a fee of 40 euros or so. You can even change a BCN-ZRH to a MAD-anywhere by paying the fee and the difference in fare.

No OW benefits on VY metal. You get the bag included by booking the IB codeshare as it books into "Optima".

checkerboard

For IB issued tickets, on IB codeshare (BA operated) flights - is there any sense of how major the schedule change would need to be in order to trigger a full refund? Or are even minor-changes eligible? And how does this work if the outbound has already been flown, and the schedule changes are to the return journey?

In my particular case, an open-jaw ticket was issued in Brazil, via Iberia's Brazilian website. Outbound (Brazil -> Europe, operated/marketed by BA) is flown. Return (Europe -> Africa, IB codeshares on BA), are confirmed for future dates, and have recently been subject to a schedule change (10 minute earlier departure).

Ever since the schedule change, I've been unable to access "Manage My Booking" until and unless I click a button that I "accept" the changes. I have not yet done this. The only other option is to "refuse" the changes, which when clicked upon kicks me out to a page inviting me to call Iberia reservations.

Truth be told, I'd be very glad to get a refund of the unused flights - but before I call and insist, I want to have some sense of what my rights are (either by IB policy, or by Brazilain consumer protection law).

Or in the worst of cases - if I anyway abandon the tickets and cancel before departure, how can most cost-effectively request refund of the gov't taxes/fees in connection with the unused flights?