Covid19: Swiss refunds after cancellation
#541
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: Lufthansa Senator, Delta Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6
Where to sue Swiss ?
I live n NY but have a A ticket out of Germany with cancelled flights to the US. Swiss tries now a new game saying that I had requested a charge back and that the Miles and More is responsible for the refund. Barclays / Miles & More advised that the refund must be requested from Swiss.
My question:
-Has anybody gotten a confirmation from Swiss acknowledging the refund request ? I have not
- secondly, where should I sue Swiss. In New York or via Germany
Any help is very welcome. Im a Senator and have only flown First Class intercontinental with Swiss and Im flabbergasted how this airline treats my loyalty
thank you
My question:
-Has anybody gotten a confirmation from Swiss acknowledging the refund request ? I have not
- secondly, where should I sue Swiss. In New York or via Germany
Any help is very welcome. Im a Senator and have only flown First Class intercontinental with Swiss and Im flabbergasted how this airline treats my loyalty
thank you
#542
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Munich, Algarve, Sussex or S.F Bay Area
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, A3*Gold, AA Plat, HH Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,126
I live n NY but have a A ticket out of Germany with cancelled flights to the US. Swiss tries now a new game saying that I had requested a charge back and that the Miles and More is responsible for the refund. Barclays / Miles & More advised that the refund must be requested from Swiss.
My question:
-Has anybody gotten a confirmation from Swiss acknowledging the refund request ? I have not
- secondly, where should I sue Swiss. In New York or via Germany
Any help is very welcome. I’m a Senator and have only flown First Class intercontinental with Swiss and I’m flabbergasted how this airline treats my loyalty
thank you
My question:
-Has anybody gotten a confirmation from Swiss acknowledging the refund request ? I have not
- secondly, where should I sue Swiss. In New York or via Germany
Any help is very welcome. I’m a Senator and have only flown First Class intercontinental with Swiss and I’m flabbergasted how this airline treats my loyalty
thank you
Since your flight involves the USA, I recommend you file a DOT case. The DOT will require Swiss to answer you, explain themselves and copy them on the reply. If this does not work, you can still sue Swiss in either NY or Germany, whichever you prefer. I do suspect that the time to refund will be quicker following the DOT path though as Airlines are more afraid of the US regulator than their European counterparts. And, you still have the option to sue if you don't get your money.
#543
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: GIB BCN LUX MLA GOT LCA ATH
Programs: Miles and More FTL; Miles and Bonus *G; Emirates
Posts: 94
the problem is that CH is not in the EU and therefore the local court handling small claims does not have jurisdiction
#544
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: MEX
Programs: AC E75K
Posts: 4,171
Received another ironic-bordering-on-offensive PR spam from Swiss:
Dear ___________, Yesterday, the entire airline industry looked to Frankfurt, where the Extraordinary General Meeting of our parent company, the Deutsche Lufthansa AG, voted on the proposed stabilization measures. The shareholders rendered a favourable decision, which in turn ensures the liquidity of SWISS. The next steps will now be coordinated with the Lufthansa Group and the relevant bodies and authorities. This gives us a solid planning foundation we need to continue to resume our flight operations and ensure Switzerlands connections with the world.
We can also announce great news regarding our route network. By autumn, we expect to resume service to around 85% of our destinations that we served prior to the sudden onset of the corona crisis. In addition, we will increase the frequencies to attractive destinations across Europe.
We want you to feel at ease throughout every step of your journey, which is why we have implemented comprehensive hygiene measures. You can find a wide range of information on this and on travelling in times of the coronavirus at swiss.com. You may also find an overview of the various options allowing for extra peace of mind while traveling with us.
We now offer you even more flexibility when booking. Should your travel plans change, you can rebook your flight free of charge irrespective of the ticket fare. Of course, you may also request a refund. The easiest way to do so is online. Alternatively, you can also call our Service Center. Please note, however, that delays are possible as they are currently facing an exceptionally high number of requests. For this, I apologize. But I assure you that our employees are committed to processing requests as swiftly as possible.
We connect Switzerland with the world so that you can connect with people in person, transcending borders and cultures.
I thank you for your continued loyalty and look forward to welcoming you on board SWISS again soon.
Kind regards,
Tamur Goudarzi Pour
Chief Commercial Officer
Member of the Management Board
Swiss International Air Lines
We can also announce great news regarding our route network. By autumn, we expect to resume service to around 85% of our destinations that we served prior to the sudden onset of the corona crisis. In addition, we will increase the frequencies to attractive destinations across Europe.
We want you to feel at ease throughout every step of your journey, which is why we have implemented comprehensive hygiene measures. You can find a wide range of information on this and on travelling in times of the coronavirus at swiss.com. You may also find an overview of the various options allowing for extra peace of mind while traveling with us.
We now offer you even more flexibility when booking. Should your travel plans change, you can rebook your flight free of charge irrespective of the ticket fare. Of course, you may also request a refund. The easiest way to do so is online. Alternatively, you can also call our Service Center. Please note, however, that delays are possible as they are currently facing an exceptionally high number of requests. For this, I apologize. But I assure you that our employees are committed to processing requests as swiftly as possible.
We connect Switzerland with the world so that you can connect with people in person, transcending borders and cultures.
I thank you for your continued loyalty and look forward to welcoming you on board SWISS again soon.
Kind regards,
Tamur Goudarzi Pour
Chief Commercial Officer
Member of the Management Board
Swiss International Air Lines
#547
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Munich, Algarve, Sussex or S.F Bay Area
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, A3*Gold, AA Plat, HH Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,126
Personally, I dont trust them any more and would still issue a chargeback. It will certainly be processed quicker and knowing that they must refund by September they probably will not dispute the chargeback.
#548
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bermuda & UK & USA
Programs: BA Gold. IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 176
My first experience with calling into Swiss's customer service. I am booked on a flight from Zurich to Nairobi in August. Expert Flyer shows that all flights are zeroed out for all of August. The agent tells me that my flight is definitely operating and that all seats are just fully booked in all cabins. I asked why this is the case for all flights in both directions for all of August just to be told again that every flight is fully booked and not to worry.
Another case of Swiss holding onto customer's cash since you are at an impasse until they formally notify you of a cancellation,
Another case of Swiss holding onto customer's cash since you are at an impasse until they formally notify you of a cancellation,
#549
How many more times do we need to explain the difference between a zeroed out flight and a cancelled one?!
Just have a bit of patience. The whole summer schedule should be released in the coming days/weeks. Your flights will be cancelled then and you'll be able to request a refund.
Just have a bit of patience. The whole summer schedule should be released in the coming days/weeks. Your flights will be cancelled then and you'll be able to request a refund.
#550
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bermuda & UK & USA
Programs: BA Gold. IHG Platinum Ambassador
Posts: 176
How many more times do we need to explain the difference between a zeroed out flight and a cancelled one?!
Just have a bit of patience. The whole summer schedule should be released in the coming days/weeks. Your flights will be cancelled then and you'll be able to request a refund.
Just have a bit of patience. The whole summer schedule should be released in the coming days/weeks. Your flights will be cancelled then and you'll be able to request a refund.
FWIW Swiss has just emailed me to say that my itinerary has been changed, their new itinerary needs me to use time travel since my arriving flight now lands 2 hours after my connecting flight departs. After my first attempt at flying with Swiss I will be jumping back over to BA (reluctantly!) who has refunded in cash over 30 legs without any kind of deception or pushback.
#551
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 16,965
My first experience with calling into Swiss's customer service. I am booked on a flight from Zurich to Nairobi in August. Expert Flyer shows that all flights are zeroed out for all of August. The agent tells me that my flight is definitely operating and that all seats are just fully booked in all cabins. I asked why this is the case for all flights in both directions for all of August just to be told again that every flight is fully booked and not to worry.
Another case of Swiss holding onto customer's cash since you are at an impasse until they formally notify you of a cancellation,
Another case of Swiss holding onto customer's cash since you are at an impasse until they formally notify you of a cancellation,
But holding onto cash is an unlikely explanation for not cancelling flights that are no longer being marketed. The airline has no compunction about making passengers wait many long weeks for refunds: it clearly doesn't feel the need for a fig leaf to cover a few weeks' delay in handing back cash.
It's likely your flight will not operate, will eventually be cancelled. SWISS has stopped marketing it. For contractual and other reasons the airline doesn't want to sell tickets for a service it knows it is unlikely to operate.
But there are tickets already sold on that flight, and while there is still a glimmer of hope that it will go ahead, SWISS will not want to ditch those passengers. Cancellation of tickets on a service that eventually takes off would represent a stark revenue loss, and doubtless open up a mess of compensation claims from passengers left behind.
SWISS sold you the ticket in good faith. European regulations allow it to cancel up to two weeks before take off without sanction: it might go to that wire. You need to be patient. After cancellation you get options which include refund and quite generous re-booking conditions - though the former might take some time to come through and the latter could require some more patience dealing with customer service.
#553
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LHR
Programs: Accor PLT,Thai Silver, HH Dia, SPG Titanium (LT Gold), Aegean Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 5,114
#554
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 16,965
I'm sure the procedure is similar in Denmark.
It's not a speedy process. It took my cc 6 weeks to get round to my case, but when they did they almost immediately credited my card account with the refund owed. The rub is the airline has 45 days to challenge that......
#555
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 207
I received an email today that my August flights from USA to Switzerland to USA had been canceled due to the coronavirus. The email offered me the options of agreeing to new dates for the flights or using my ticket later. There was no mention of the possibility of a refund.
I called the Service Center and was on hold for less than one minute. The agent was polite and, when I requested a full refund, she immediately agreed that I was entitled to one because Swiss Air had canceled the flights. She put me on hold for about five minutes to contact the department that processes refunds. When she came back on the line she informed me that the refund would be processed in six to eight weeks, maybe a little longer. She also told me that I would receive a confirmation email regarding the refund in one day.
Although I am not happy about having to wait a couple of months to get my money back, I am satisfied overall with the result and the fact that it was much easier than I expected. I will not initiate a charge back with AMEX at this time.
I called the Service Center and was on hold for less than one minute. The agent was polite and, when I requested a full refund, she immediately agreed that I was entitled to one because Swiss Air had canceled the flights. She put me on hold for about five minutes to contact the department that processes refunds. When she came back on the line she informed me that the refund would be processed in six to eight weeks, maybe a little longer. She also told me that I would receive a confirmation email regarding the refund in one day.
Although I am not happy about having to wait a couple of months to get my money back, I am satisfied overall with the result and the fact that it was much easier than I expected. I will not initiate a charge back with AMEX at this time.