Originally Posted by IAN-UK

That's the rule. You maybe benefitted in terms of the fare by going through an agency: the quid pro quo is that it's the agency that handles the administration of your ticket until (more or less) you get to the airport.

There are some possible advantages to having an agency do this. Good agencies will have gathered significant experience dealing with COVID cancellations.

It is going to take time, whoever deals with it. One refund I'm waiting for from Lufthansa has broken the 12-week barrier: the other was dealt with through a credit card dispute, but still took almost 12 weeks.

But your carrier choice is, after all, TAP: an airline flirting with bankruptcy and crippled by an attitude to customer service that would embarrass a Siberian Gulag.

Note that "refund" could cover cash-refund or voucher-refund. Make it crystal clear to your agency that you want a cash refund: make it doubly clear that you do not want a voucher. And do keep copies of correspondence.

It'd very likely your journey is covered by European legislation, meaning the airline is required to effect a cash refund within 7 days. That isn't going to happen. But it's good t be aware of that requirement under Regulation EC261, in case you choose to take more formal steps towards your refund.

You have muddied your contractual relationship with the airline by going through an agent, so that while disputes/chargeback through your credit card company are probably still a possibility, it's unlikely a Section75-type claim against your credit card would be possible.