The 16 European carriers making this commitment include British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian, Air France, Lufthansa and Wizz Air. But the action does not cover flights booked as part of a package.
The commission alerted enforcement authorities in December 2020 over concerns about several airlines’ cancellation and reimbursement practices during the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to dialogue with carriers and the eventual agreement with the EU.
Justice commissioner Didier Reynders said: “It is good news for consumers that airlines co-operated during the dialogues and committed to respecting passengers’ rights and improving their communication.
“In the early phase of the pandemic, some airlines pushed vouchers on passengers. They were acting against EU consumer protection rules.
“That was unacceptable. Following our joint action, I am pleased that most of them have now agreed to refund these vouchers. I call on authorities to ensure that the remaining airlines also offer a money refund for such vouchers.”
The commission said that the “bulk” of the refund backlog had now been cleared and all 16 airlines had “committed to solve remaining issues”.
Transport commissioner Adina Valean added: “This is crucial to restoring passengers’ confidence. The recovery of the air transport sector depends on this.”
The airlines have committed to paying refunds within seven days, as required by EU law, and to inform passengers “more clearly” of their rights when flights are cancelled with “equal prominence” given to all options on their websites, emails and other communication.
They have also agreed to “clearly distinguish” flights cancelled by the airline from those cancelled by the passenger. Vouchers instead of refunds can also only be given to passengers who “expressly choose them”.
Passengers booking through agents and other third parties can also request a refund directly from the airline if they have “difficulties” getting reimbursed through the intermediary.
