Everything you need to know if your flight or holiday is cancelled due to coronavirus

The European Commission has ruled that travellers whose flights were cancelled due to coronavirus are entitled to a cash refund.

Non-essential foreign travel has been advised against by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and it looks as though holidays will be cancelled for a good few months, with many people looking to cancel or rearrange their trips. 

So what are your rights if you’ve had your holiday or flights cancelled?

The Association of British Travel Agents told BBC news that people ‘absolutely have the right to a refund’ for cancelled package holidays. They did warn that refunds may take longer than the statutory 14 days due to high demand.

If your flight is cancelled, you are also entitled to a full refund to your original method of payment within seven days.

However, many airlines have offered a voucher for use on another flight instead of a full cash refund, including budget airline Ryanair.

Ryanair’s chief executive has issued a statement to say ‘every customer will get a cash refund if they want a cash refund’, but that it ‘could take up to six months’ to pay everyone back.

This comes as Ryanair reports it is currently processing around 10,000 refunds a week, up from 10,000 monthly.

Unfortunately, if the airline later folds, the voucher will likely become invalid and may not be financially protected by Atol.

If you have been offered a voucher or a free re-booking instead of a cash refund, you can accept or refuse it, and you do not need to re-book if you don’t want to. You are legally entitled to a refund.

The company that took your money is responsible for issuing the refund so double-check whether you booked direct or through a third-party agent.

If your flight has been cancelled you are due a refund, this applies to all flights departing from any EU country as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.

Despite these rules, many airlines are making refunds difficult. Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways have been issuing vouchers, claiming refunds will take over a month – or in some cases making it nearly impossible to contact the company directly.

Other airlines such as Air France-KLM and WestJet are refusing refunds.

In terms of claiming your refund, you do not need to do it before your flight’s scheduled departure, you have up to 12 months to make a claim.

If you cannot reach the airline you could try to claim through your debit or credit card provider or PayPal.

If you re-book a flight and then later decide to not go on it, and if it has not been cancelled, you will have lost your right to a refund and may not be covered by travel insurance.

If your flight is still scheduled (with British Airways, Ryanair or easyJet) you cannot claim a refund.

Which? has advised that you do not cancel your flights or holidays and instead wait for the holiday company or airline to do so. This ensures you are able to claim a full refund.

If your flights or holidays are outside of the EU the rules are more complex and your rights will depend on the individual airline.

Ensure you check the terms and conditions of your voucher if issued one, to check the date requirements in claiming a refund.