Air passengers affected by cold snap entitled for refund

Consumers encouraged to contact commission if refund requests fall on deaf ears

Travel Insurance News - 18/01/2010

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Thousands of travellers affected by the recent cold snap in the UK will be entitled for a refund in hotels and other incurred travel costs due to cancelled or delayed flights. Earlier this month, hundreds of flights were grounded and thousands of passengers were affected due to heavy snowfall, with some major airports forced to close.

The Commission for Aviation Regulation informed that they had received many calls from air passengers this week trying to ask assistance in reimbursing their curtailed travels. Patricia Barton, a spokeswoman from the commission, commented that bad weather conditions will not give airline companies an excuse from their obligation to look after their passengers under the EU law.

Affected air passengers are advised to directly request reimbursement from their airlines. But if the request is unsuccessful within a reasonable period, consumers can call the commission to ask for help.

While travellers that are affected by bad weather are not entitled for a reimbursement for the inconvenience caused by the delays or cancellations of their flights, they can however ask for refund to cover all of their travel expense – such as food, hotel, and transportation to and from the airport.

However, their right will be voided if they had decided to fly with a different air carrier instead of the airline they had originally booked. In such event, they will no longer be entitled for a refund on expenses they had incurred due to their failure to travel, such as unused football match tickets or hotel accommodation at the destination.

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