Xandrios

I talked to my credit card CS yesterday (amex) regarding a Swiss booking and they mentioned that they consider a voucher a refund.

This means that, at least with amex nl, getting a voucher instead of cash is accepted and not cause for a chargeback to be approved.

I do agree that with the typical rules you should be able to get a cash refund. But things are not typical. If airlines have to provide refunds for every canceled ticket even the strongest ones will fold and go bankrupt.

I'd advise on taking the voucher and be happy that you got something back. After all it's not your fault all of this is happening.. But it's not the airlines fault either. Everybody will have to bear some of the costs.

Carpacchio

Same situation with Air France: they offered me a voucher for a flight that they cancelled. Reason: unfortunately, your flight is non-refundable.

I wrote back that I am entitled to refund due to EU passenger rights. Let's see what comes back...

headingwest

That's all very well, if you can be certain that they won't raise the prices.

Just because someone bought a P fare for 35 EUR in March, doesn't mean that P fares will cost 35 EUR in September. These airlines will have lost revenue for months by the time all this is finished, and they will be looking to get it back. If you accept the voucher, you've effectively locked in your cash, and they will be in a position to get you to pay more.

I know these are difficult times for everyone, but these airlines have rich backers, I don't!

Carpacchio

And on top you might not need to fly with them anymore, so it's money lost in the end..

East_and_West

True, can't argue with that. But showing understanding should by definition be a voluntary act and not a forced one. Moreover as even the updated EC directive explicitly states that passengers retain the right to reject the voucher and opt for a full reimbursement instead, withholding the payments for cancelled flights is simply airlines bullying their customers, if not outright illegal.

Costs are already borne by almost everybody. Right now millions of employees are facing the harsh reality of the present situation. In Sweden large car and steel factories shut down and lay off employees. Firms in many industries are being hit hard and face the prospect of going out of business. Despite that (or exactly because of that) no unilateral breach of existing contracts is warranted or justified, unless following extraordinary measures introduced by the relevant authorities. If everyone affected by the crisis stopped abiding to their contracts or fulfilling their obligations, our entire system would collapse already.

I really don’t see why a person who may face uncertainty about their future employment or income should be forced to lend an airline, especially one that they have no plans of flying again in the foreseeable future. Such a voucher would then be useless to them. And just as a side note, I wonder, if my business faced hardship in an era when the airline industry was flourishing, would they accept to help me by, say, waiving my rebooking fees?

headingwest

The problem is, this seems to be the attitude adopted by many airlines now. Aegean, Air France (as mentioned above), and Virgin Atlantic have also changed their policy on the website in the past few hours.

Obviously they interpreted yesterday's announcement by the EU as an indication that the airlines themselves can decide whether we get a voucher, or a refund... and not us. The whole thing stinks.

Carpacchio

Well - Air France caved in and sent me a reimbursement memo after I said I don't accept the voucher...

xychromosome

I received a form letter from Aegean in response to my emailed request for a refund, directing me to their website and to their call center (which drops my call after first menu selection). I am not interested in a 'credit', I would like a refund since they canceled the flight. Am I limited to initiating a chargeback with my CC or are there other options I should try?

blackball

This is crazy. Why do we have EU directives and passenger rights if airlines can so easily ignore them? There has to be a way to escalate and force them to do the right thing.

I am, of course, a frequent A3 flyer, and I will most definitely use my vouchers, but this is a matter of principle and to stand up to those who may not be able to use the vouchers. No airline should be allowed to get away with this.

supatight80

After 2 calls to them and an email sent without getting a reply, I initiated a chargeback and got my money back the next day.

I really have no time with Aegean's B*llsh*t. Not my problem if they are having financial problems due to covid-19. But guess what? All of us are.

xychromosome

Happy to hear that this approach worked for you, I now plan to follow suit.

Note that I am also working on getting a refund with another carrier (Transavia) for a canceled flight that was part of this same planned trip. They are also giving me the runaround, so this is definitely not something restricted to just Aegean.

blackball

Exactly. I might just do the same, though I'm not holding my breath, since my bank is Greek, and I have zero trust they will do the right thing in this case. If I manage to do it though, it will be beautifully ironic to have the money refunded to my Aegean Bonus VISA.

supatight80

Don't banks in EU/Greece follow EU 261 law? When I did my chargeback (Canadian Bank), I mentioned to them to check EU 261 law

blackball

Well, Aegean should be following EU261 law too, but they're not. You're right, it should be fine, but let's see. I am first trying to communicate through the A3 Gold line, but of course not getting through.

xychromosome

Just to follow up, I submitted a refund request from my CC yesterday (Chase) and the funds were credited to my account today. Thanks Chase.