If airlines made a firm commitment to process refunds within 28 days, that would be one thing -- even though 28 days is 21 more than EU law requires. But that's not what we're seeing. More typical is easyJet's "don't pester us for 90 days" (my interpretation) bit. I have some sympathy for airlines trying to survive, but not that much sympathy. At some point your credit card issuer will reject a disputed charge on the ground that you waited too long, so this isn't just a matter of being patient for the return of your money. It might determine whether you ever get your money back at all.