dmitriy55

Well, here is the update: TAP finally did refund the ticket (I think it's the full ticket cost, but with the dollar/euro conversion it's hard to tell at first glance), so kudos to them. Interestingly enough, they did a separate transfer to the sum of the ticket, rather than a straight-refund of the original charge. Not sure why they do it, but whatever works...

Fiordland

I have a ticket issued by TAP YVR-YYZ-LIS-BCN and the same route in reverse to get home. (Domestic Canadian leg are on AC with a TP codeshare). Was planning to attend MWC Barcelona. Now that it is cancelled due to the Corona Virus (a virus that is basically non-existent in North America or Europe) I need to look at getting a refund.

Anyone have any feeling for how TAP is responding to the Corona virus and if over the next week or two we should see more liberal cancellation rules adopted or it things are going to be business as usual?

IAN-UK

I think you might have to swallow any cancellation charges that apply, or rely on travel insurance to make you whole. An airline is unlikely to accept the organisers cancelling a conference as reason to refund tickets, whatever the motive for pulling he event.

But TAP-logic throws up odd results, so it's worth trying for a refund or (perhaps more hopeful) credit for future flights.

Fiordland

Thanks, I was thinking more of attributing it to COVID-19. Though more likely with the Asian airlines.

Still odd that a European conference with 110,000 delegates is being cancelled due to COVID-19 but that is the state of the world these days.

IAN-UK

It's an awful lot of delegates - and I bet a big chunk of them would have been coming from China, and from other countries now sadly tarnished in the minds of organisers and others.

I reckon it's worth giving it a try, especially as the programme will probably be rescheduled, so the (unlikely) offer of a date change to the ticket could be a welcome solution.

loopflyer

UPDATE: Had a one-way refundable TAP J ticket and cancelled it online (purchased on TAP's U.S. site in U.S. dollars). From the day of cancellation to seeing the credit on my card was 11 days. So, it worked. I cancelled due to the COVID19 (Coronavirus) pathogen pandemic now sweeping across most of Europe. Was due to visit Italy as well. Not a good idea - even in May when I was due to fly. Deaths in Italy now 107 and the number of infected in the thousands; government of Italy closed all schools, universities through March. Good luck to all who will still fly. Out.

gr2020

Thanks! Did you happen to notice how long it was between when you submitted the cancel/refund request, and when the refund status on their site updated? It's such an opaque process...

loopflyer

Yes, day from making the cancellation online to the refund status showing that my refund had been approved was 8 days. I checked every few days.

I was afraid that TAP was going to draw the thing out for weeks. It worked for me; I believe the key reason is that I'm in the U.S. and booked it on the U.S. website. Meaning? Meaning I think TAP will play by the rules for U.S.-issued tickets given that they can be sued, or complaints made against them to the Consumer Protection Agency and FAA.

TAP is contractually obligated under U.S. laws (not Portugal or their own as they might seem fit) as they are selling tickets in the U.S. under their U.S. website; they are a foreign company registered to do business inside the U.S. Had I bought the ticket on their other websites, different story possibly. So where TAP might play games in Europe or elsewhere they are more at risk under U.S federal.laws - and people will sue in the U.S. Just my insight FWIW.

gr2020

Partial data point -

3/2 - requested refund on TAP site (J class Spring20 ticket)
3/5 - site status updated to indicate refund has been issued

As of 3/9, no credit has appeared on my credit card yet, assuming (hoping!) it will later this week.

stephem

Do you have a sense of what you expect back? I see TAP has cleaned up the fare rules around refunds now and it is a bit more clear that the cancellation fee is "per component" and that the ambiguous language about fuel surcharges now reads more clearly that any fees in excess of the base fare will deducted from YQ and then residual YQ will be deducted. My previous iteration of J fare had language that AMEX kept misreading as not allowing any refund of YQ.

I have 2 sectors so will lose $400 for each ticket I bought, roughly 50% of the value, so I am holding out there is a more generous waiver put into place before my April 19 flight that allows refund or for me to push this out to August when I can use it.

gr2020

Ha - well, I have a number in my head, but I don't have a lot of confidence.

My fare breakdown, from the booking confirmation email, was:

Fare - $766
YQ - $1234
Taxes/fees - $96.60

Total price - $2096.60
Promotion code - $400
Total amount paid - $1696.60

The trip was two segments, EWR-OPO and LIS-EWR. For each segment, under "conditions" in the booking email, it says:

Refund
Before departure - Charge USD250.00 or equivalent for cancel/no-show/refund. Charge applies per ticket holder.
Cancellations rules apply per fare component.

So...my guess here, without trying to interpret all the rest of the stuff in the email (which _seems_ to not apply, but it's hard to tell for sure), is a penalty of $500, so a refund of about $1196.

For giggles, I put together a booking on the same flights on Amex travel (without the promotion discount of course). That booking said there would be a $500 cancellation fee, plus a $39 amex fee for cancelling. So, while not definitive, this gives me a little more confidence that the overall cancellation fee from TAP might indeed be $500 total.

loopflyer

It should show. I had the same Spring20 J fare and I was fully refunded, to the U.S. penny.

manhattan92

I would appreciate someone's help with my issue; I hold a one-way J fare from Madrid to JFK. The originally reserved connecting flight from Madrid to LIS was cancelled by TAP and I was offered an earlier, inconvenient flight. I now want to cancel the entire trip due to the schedule change and the coronavirus situation but the TAP website is aggressively user-unfriendly. Can you please tell me how to request a refund for my ticket, purchased online at flytap.com with a US credit card? I only see a bank transfer refund option that does not include US banks. I would think that the refund should go to my credit card, where it was purchased. Thank you for any tips.

progol

I canceled a mid-April flight between Bilbao and Lisbon in the site that still shows up even though I have the “refund request” notifications.

I am dreading having to cancel our international flights as dealing with TAP has been awful. I don’t see any policy yet as far as the recent restriction and am at a loss. I assume my early April flight out will be canceled but I see no reference to the latest set of restrictions.

Any thoughts about what TAP might do?

Patrick J. Wilson

We have the Sunday March 29th flight from Lisbon to SFO that we booked through the Chase Travel Portal. At this point my plan is wait a few more days to see if they cancel.

My flight to Europe on Norwegian was canceled this morning, so that was simple enough.