The Coronavirus outbreak brought the world to a screeching halt. Most countries were unprepared for the kind of spread that they were about to witness. The travel industry was one of the worst-hit sectors, and people who had already planned their spring breaks had to plan again on how to get reimbursed for the canceled tickets. With lockdown in place across the globe, airlines had to cancel all the flights, and millions of passengers who had booked their seats started struggling with the denied right to airfare refunds. Passengers started complaining about the lack of refunds, the inability to reach the airline representatives, and the assessment of the change fee. The volume of the complaints was so much that the governments had to intervene, and passengers were assured of a hassle-free refund for their canceled tickets. Many people got immediate relief when the refund was processed, and many are still unaware of how to make the process work for them. For people struggling for a refund, there is more than one way to get the ticket money back into your account.
Call your airline
The first weeks of the travel ban were hardest, with people complaining of not being heard by the airline representatives. But the stonewalling stopped when the governments across countries intervened and directed the airline authorities to do the needful as quickly as possible. So, all you need to do is call the airline, give them your ticket details and ask for a refund as per the government directives. You might need to confirm your identity for the refund. Note that the passengers who have voluntarily canceled the ticket, might not be able to get a full refund.
Contact your credit card company
One of the basic rules of availing of a credit card service is that you cannot be charged for a service you did not receive. In this case, you have already paid for a ticket via a credit card, but you were not able to complete the journey because the airline canceled the flight. The airline cannot hold your money hostage and is bound to pay you back. You need to call your credit card company, give them details about the booking and seek reversal of payment for denied service.Â
Reach out to concerned department of civil aviation
If you have already tried contacting the airline or your credit card company to no avail, you can lodge a formal complaint with the department that oversees civil aviation. Most of the government directives clearly state that any individual passenger has the right to seek a complete refund if the tickets are canceled by the airline with no fault of the passenger. Non-refund in such cases is a direct violation of the government provisions.Â
Get on social media
With an issue like an airline refund, you might probably get sorted if you follow the above ways. If all of them do not work, which is pretty unlikely, there is no harm in getting on social media to put forth your point. Note that no airline appreciates negative publicity, at least, not at the cost of their reputation. Make sure to tag the relevant airline and put forth your concerns by communicating clearly. Airlines, like many other companies, monitor their social media situation, and they will be contacting you to avoid any escalation.
