I'm glad he got the refund and initially refusing it was a ridiculous move PR-wise by Easyjet, but they were of course 100% correct. If you want refundable plane tickets (for ANY reason) then buy them. If you buy non-refundable tickets then don't expect to get a refund on them.

I'm more interested in why on Earth he paid £550 each to fly to Malta with Easyjet though... This, in conjunction with Easyjet claiming the first they heard of this was several months after the missed flight and that they refunded the total within 48 hours, makes me suspicious. It wouldn't surprise me if he sent a letter off to the wrong place, or it simply got misplaced in a mailroom somewhere.