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Curtailment refund

If a package holiday is curtailed while a client is abroad due to FCO advice against all but essential travel, and the tour operator cancels all future accommodation and return flights and arranges repatriation with a different airline, is the tour operator legally liable to refund the 'unused' part of the holiday to the client? This would include unused accommodation, transfers, excursions and the return flight? All discussions regarding refunds seem to apply to the cancellation of future packages but not the situation when the client was actually abroad but had to return following FCO advice and had only used a portion of the package. The return flights with BA were cancelled 8-9 days before the client was due to travel.

 

3 Collaborators
Pat Edgar
Pat EdgarConsultant
Pat Edgar
Abra DunsbyFormer TTG Features Editor
Pat Edgar
Alan BowenManaging Partner

2 responses
Alan BowenAlan Bowen24 Apr 2020 16:11

In theory, the unused accommodation and any other services paid in advance are refundable but as presumably unless BA paid for the alternative flights, it would be reasonable to expect that the cost of the new flights is deducted. If this results in a loss to the consumer, a good policy of insurance should cover the loss under "travel disruption" cover

Pat EdgarPat Edgar24 Apr 2020 16:36

Thanks. The repatriation flights were booked with another airline, not BA. Currently neither BA nor the accommodation providers, etc have refunded (due to their cash flow). As the unused return flights were business class, and repatriation flights economy, there would be funds outstanding to the consumer, even after deducting the cost of repatriation flights. As this trip was long haul the original business class flights were quite a high price. Will advise to approach insurers in first instance but if this fails, then I am thinking a refund is due to the client after deducting the cost of the repatriation flights.


Abra DunsbyAbra Dunsby24 Apr 2020 13:51
Hi Pat,

We've passed this query on to one of our experts and someone will be in touch with an answer as soon as they can

Thanks
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