Fighting a losing battle with Aer Lingus over terms of vouchers Pricewatch: Reader is ‘disgusted’ after being told she cannot use vouchers for flight home to Ireland Mon, Mar 2, 2020, 00:00 Then the flight was changed by a full day and I was told I would only get tax back in a refund as I had booked Saver flights. Although there are situations which absolve the airline of any responsibilities, those that indicts the airline would see you entitled to a compensation of up to €600. After all, in the case of long-haul flights for a family, you are talking about several thousand euro being locked up in bureaucracy. Aer Lingus is pushing the voucher or rebook option. It says that “to date in excess of 90 per cent of the requests received have been processed” with those remaining “typically more complex”. They could, reasonably, set a time – say one month – and say that they are not in a position to handle follow-up queries within that window. No personal correspondence will be entered into. The issue here appears to be that the tickets were booked through the Avios loyalty rewards programme which allows you build up points to apply against ticket prices when you shop in … Delivery date can be set up to a maximum of 3 months from purchase date. Aer Lingus confirms that where passengers simply switch their flight to a future date due to an Aer Lingus schedule change rather than applying for a voucher or refund, they do not have to pay any difference in fare if the new flights are more expensive. I had a long planned flight to Italy in Mar 2020. Almost a third of staff at Dublin and Cork airports have revealed that they will quit their jobs under a voluntary redundancy scheme. Vouchers purchased online can have a delayed delivery date for recipient electronic email voucher. If there is a Government-issued restriction or warning against flying to a destination, Aer Lingus says you can choose to change your flight to another date or destination, though that will be no good to the one passenger who cannot go next year unless they can fly at a different time to the rest of the group, possibly to a different destination. The voucher will be sent to your recipient’s email address, followed by a PIN email. The carrier said: ‘We have expanded our teams along with introducing new processes and technology in an effort to speed up the processing time. If you’ve flown with Aer Lingus within the last 6 years and your flight was delayed by 3 hours or more, then you may be entitled to receive up to £540 per passenger in compensation. Aer Lingus claim the delay is due to overwhelming demand and that vouchers will be issued in the order they were requested. Please send your queries to Dominic Coyle, Q&A, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2, or email dcoyle@irishtimes.com. 6 months waiting for vouchers. You will get the full value of your flight ticket, including seat selection, priority boarding etc, plus an additional 10% bonus. The maximum amount of compensation per passenger for a delayed flight or cancelled flight is €600, and €300 in the case of a delayed alternate flight, however, this amount is dependent on the flight distance and the location of the flight route. Widespread travel restrictions have meant not only that most flights were grounded for an extended period but also that people abandoned all bar essential future travel plans amid uncertainty over future restrictions and of the path of the virus itself. I was hoping to use the vouchers for a future trip back to see family, hoping for Christmas, but I honestly think I’ll see a unicorn first.’ Another Aer Lingus customer impacted by the delays in getting her voucher is Danielle who planned on travelling to Boston in March. I’ve been months asking for refund instead of voucher and they have said, no, it’s not possible. The issue here appears to be that the tickets were booked through the Avios loyalty rewards programme which allows you build up points to apply against ticket prices when you shop in certain stores and when you buy tickets. ‘Original flights were booked for March 16. In the case of Ms TQ, whose case the airline are still investigating, a spokeswoman for Aer Lingus has once again stated categorically: “The type of ticket does not influence someone’s entitlement to a refund.”. Under an EU law known as EC 261, if an airline causes passengers to arrive at their destination 3 or more hours late , those passengers could be entitled to up to $700 in compensation . The EU flight delay compensation Aer Lingus would pay is dependent upon the scheduled travel distance of the flight, not price. This name will appear beside any comments you post. ‘The June trip was also cancelled, so now they owe me around €1,800 for both vouchers. You would probably be better off applying for a cash refund rather than the voucher. If they really don’t want to travel, I would also advise against a wait-and-see approach. However, one customer has told the Mail that after waiting 21 weeks she now regrets not asking for her money back instead. For the last few weeks, the Aer Lingus website has carried a notice that all vouchers for flights cancelled up to end July would be issued by end September. Zero Communication from Aer Lingus in that time. For a better experience use Google Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge. You’re right. This may include the following: Meals and drinks; Two different occasions in which you are allowed to establish communication with an individual of your choice (calls, emails, etc.) Well as I claimed mine as soon as the voucher offer was launched back in March this length of time is way beyond unreasonable ,heaven help those further down the list. Under the airline’s terms, customers eligible for a refund voucher include those whose flights have been cancelled, with bookings to travel up to August 31. Frustrated customers waiting months for Aer Lingus refund vouchers to make up for flights they couldn’t take during the pandemic, are being told it’s due to an ‘unprecedented’ request for vouchers and refunds at this time. This is not reasonable customer service regardless of the pressure the airline is under. Last week, I was told those criteria were as follows: “Aer Lingus customers with bookings that have been impacted by a schedule change of over two hours, are entitled to a full refund.”. The account details entered are not currently associated with an Irish Times subscription. Will daughter get CGT exemption for renting home in 2014? You should receive instructions for resetting your password. My flights were from Shannon to Boston for two passengers with travel insurance, luggage fees all paid.’ Danielle said that she has been in contact with Aer Lingus through their social media channels, emails and calls to customer service but she is still waiting for an update. The following guests can apply for a refund voucher for the full value of their flights (fare, taxes & charges, and ancillary purchases): - Guests who have been notified by Aer Lingus that their flight is cancelled. Filled out the voucher request form in middle of March. Aer Lingus does advise me that more complex bookings – for flights that have already been rebooked for a later date or where there is more than one form of payment used – may take longer “as these need to be processed manually”. Simply enter the details of your delayed Aer Lingus flight into our online claims form above to get a quick decision on your Aer Lingus compensation claim, with no-obligation. They won't put me through to the correct dept. “For future travel,” Aer Lingus says, “we are treating all customers equally. Therefore there is no difference between flights booked before or after Covid restrictions being introduced”. Finally got to speak with customer service advisor last night. Aer lingus - voucher request - Air Travel Forum - Tripadvisor. Unmarried parents face unwelcome inheritance shock. Si la compagnie Aer Lingus est en mesure de vous trouver une place sur un autre vol qui respecte l'heure d'arrivée initialement prévue, elle n'est pas tenue de vous verser une indemnisation. Why is loyalty punished when it comes to Irish mortgages? Refunds and vouchers will apply only where the flight is changed by a minimum of two hours, or cancelled. Your screen name should follow the standards set out in our. She said she spent €800 on the flights. Bookings for travel up to 31 May on our network will not be charged change fees to re-book to another date or route. At present they are only waiving change fees on bookings up to 30th September, and offering vouchers to customers who are due to travel before 30th June – this may be extended. Apparently this means the voucher/refund request had to be processed by both Aer Lingus and Avios, compounding the delay. 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I suspect that might well be the case if the flight is still scheduled unless she has a medical condition that would leave her in the high-risk category – and even then . Did air conditioning help spread of COVID-19 in meat factories? To comment you must now be an Irish Times subscriber. As of now, that flight is still operating but the group no longer wants to travel because of fears about the virus and concerns that they would have to quarantine for the entire time they are in the US and again when they come home, assuming local rules have not changed by then. Useful. Original review: May 18, 2020. I cancelled flights on … Has anyone received one. Please subscribe to sign in to comment. Changes to bookings should be made no later than 25 March using ‘Manage Trip’ on aerlingus.com. What a load of rubbish. The good news is that Aer Lingus tells me your booking “has been refunded” – I assume that means the voucher has been processed – and you should receive it in the coming days. When you have reset your password, you can, Please choose a screen name. I have tried emailing, but email comes back as not monitored. One person has been waiting for six months, they tell me. On travel insurance, I would suggest she look very carefully at the wording of her policy. Reply. She could end up cancelling and being left fully out of pocket. I had booked initially for July, then opted to rebook for August instead of taking a voucher. Ms J McD on the US west coast says she is still waiting for a refund for a flight that was cancelled over a month ago. I read your article last week where you said Aer Lingus are giving refunds. . Aer Lingus voucher. ‘Twenty-one weeks later absolutely nothing. Third person I spoke with told me I was not entitled to a refund and would just have to wait longer for my voucher. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Ms Taylor is Irish-American and had planned on travelling back to Idaho in March to see her father, but the trip was cancelled due to the pandemic. In an effort to answer as many of the queries as possible, we will break with our usual pattern and try to address several related questions in this piece. I am told that additional resources are being put into the dealing with passenger fallout from the crisis and that the majority of applications for refunds will be processed within seven to 14 business days, ie up to three weeks. AER LINGUS DELAY NOTICE Applicability The following rules shall apply: - in respect of flights departing from an airport in the EU, and flights operated by a Community air carrier departing from an airport in a third country to an airport in the EU (unless you received benefits or compensation and were given assistance in that third country); If you are using Internet Explorer 9, 10 or 11 our Audio player will not work properly. Jump to bottom. Aer Lingus, in its defence, says that it “has added additional resources to our teams and introduced new technologies to improve processing times”. Last week’s query on Aer Lingus passenger refunds has sparked a wave of emails from readers. This is outrageous. Moving to a right-sized home: What are your options? But, equally, refunds are not provided if a customer is rebooking a new flight that’s cheaper than the original. Employer offering to pay Covid tax but Revenue can’t give me the bill. The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) is seeking the cuts to the workforce... HSE chief Paul Reid has admitted his confidence in AstraZeneca has been 'rocked', as the authorities just don't know how many jabs the company will give us next week. Her particular frustration is that she has not been able “to get through to a live person”. If you don’t want your recipient to get their gift voucher until a particular date, that’s no problem. COUPON (10 days ago) Aer lingus - voucher request. Anyway, the good news for Ms J McD is that her refund has now been processed following our inquiry and you should receive it in the coming days. ‘Original flights were booked for March 16. It seems a little late to be adding additional resources now but better late than never, I guess. Haven't recievd my Aer Lingus Voucher - Air Travel Message ... VOUCHER (14 days ago) Aer Lingus claim the delay is due to overwhelming demand and that vouchers will be issued in the order they were requested. Hi, I was due to travel to a wedding in Spain in sept, wedding has now been moved to sept 2021, aer lingus have waived the change fee but are not offering a voucher for flights after 31/8/20. With the airline now processing refunds, she wonders how long more she will have to wait? Current EU regulations stipulate passengers are entitled to benefits when a flight is delayed by three or more hours (limited benefits for flights delayed by two hours) or cancelled. As per the recent update in Aer Lingus provision, the passenger can convert their flight ticket into a voucher for a full value that can be used for future purchases. She has been in touch with the call centre “numerous” times and has been told the voucher is coming soon but that has been the position for months now, she says. Still have not received it. National Lottery reveal where massive €7.3m winning jackpot ticket was sold, Ronan Glynn claims Ireland is in for ‘good summer’ if people stick to restrictions, Stargate actor Cliff Simon dies suddenly in kite-boarding accident, HSE chief admits his confidence in AstraZeneca has been ‘rocked’, Netflix to crack down on password sharing following fee increase, Stephen Donnelly claims AstraZeneca have committed to ‘doing everything they can’ to fix supply issues, Investigation underway into large gathering ‘in marquee’ after funeral. I tried calling and their auto attendant says agents cannot answer voucher questions. ‘I thought that things would be better in the summer, so I booked another trip to Idaho on the same route, via Seattle, with Aer Lingus. Finally, Ms JO was one of a group of four who booked a November break in New York back in February before the Covid crisis. I paid in full for this trip, as the voucher for March never came through. This column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice. - Guests who have booked a Plus or Advantage fare (Flights within Europe) or a Smart or Flex fare (Transatlantic flights) once the voucher is requested up to 14 days before your scheduled departure date. There is no automatic entitlement to a refund imply because the flight was booked before Covid became a factor in all our lives. Simply put, we need a refund. All Aer Lingus flights that have been cancelled or delayed are potentials for an Aer Lingus delay compensation. That, of course, suggests that straightforward queries should be processed in an automated system which, you would have thought, would avoid the need for any delay. They are being directed to file refund applications online and cautioned against submitting multiple requests. However, the airline’s response does not clarify if that “restriction or warning” would cover the US rules on entry or only official advice from our own Government on flying to particular destinations – and, as we know, the Government has been getting it in the neck over its somewhat muddled advice on foreign travel. We expect to have all cash refund requests and refund voucher requests received up to the end of January … Just choose your delivery date during the voucher purchase process, and keep it a secret until their special day comes. Aer Lingus alternative flight compensation. Save. This is a recurring frustration for passengers. Refund & Voucher Processing. We’ve repeatedly told Aer Lingus to stop sending us voucher or change holiday offers and just refund our money of over £1000 that they should paid out more than a month ago. Well as I claimed mine as soon as the voucher offer was launched back in March this length of time is way beyond … Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne. The good news is that there is some sign of US restrictions on passenger entry easing in the past week so this may be academic by the time we get to November. He was extremely rude and I was cut off twice. Waiting since April for my voucher from Aer lingus. In fairness, it must be acknowledged that coronavirus has been a disastrous time for airlines. or give me contact details for them. That might be a wise idea but, depending on when he wants to rebook, he needs to bear in mind that the voucher might not arrive in time and that he may be forced either to wait and lose out on the cheaper fare, or book ahead and use the voucher for a future trip. Voucher Refund Request Form - Aer Lingus. She said she requested the refund voucher on March 20 and the airline confirmed that her request was received. We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the, For the best site experience please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Pandemic blues: Is the worst yet to come financially? She wants to know should they just wait it out to see if the flight is cancelled or rescheduled, or should they just transfer the booking to next year, which is free. The good news for travelers is that air passenger rights exist to protect you and your journey when you get caught up in Aer Lingus flight delays. Please enter your email address so we can send you a link to reset your password. If you have received your voucher, how many weeks did it take? The good news is that Aer Lingus vouchers are valid for five years, and can be spread out to for use on multiple trips. Will paying off mortgage early count against me in future? Ms OD has been waiting for over four months for a credit voucher from Aer Lingus. The third option is to cancel now and try to claim off the insurance. Claims can be made up to six years after the scheduled flight. Posted by Laurie Beth (Minnesota) on 06/22/20 01:36 PM. Ireland’s aviation watchdog has seen a significant rise in complaints since the start of this week over the refusal of several airlines to offer refunds for cancelled flights in a timely fashion. Commenting on The Irish Times has changed. Alarm at the rollout delays is... Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has claimed that pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is 'doing everything they can' to fix supply issues with its COVID-19 vaccine. Danielle, who didn’t wish to give her last name, said that she paid this extra charge and moved the flights to May 20. Our team continue to work hard to clear the remaining requests. Earlier this year, as the pandemic began to hit the travel industry, Aer Lingus and other airlines began offering its customers refund vouchers instead of cash refunds. Your Web Browser may be out of date. I PROMISE you this Aer Lingus. 6 months waiting for vouchers. If that is what you were told, it is. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn has claimed that Ireland is in for a 'good summer' if members of the public can 'stick' to stringent restrictions for another two or three months. We have rent controls, so why aren't rents falling faster? Home; Purchase Voucher; Manage My Voucher; Gift Voucher Help; Terms & Conditions So the fact that someone is on a Saver ticket – a discounted economy ticket, I gather – should not in any way preclude them getting a refund if they otherwise meet the criteria. That would allow you to book the future, cheaper flights and the refund will eventually get to your account with no need to commit to future flights. Another Aer Lingus customer impacted by the delays in getting her voucher is Danielle who planned on travelling to Boston in March. A fare difference may apply. Earlier this week, Mr Donnelly stated that it the delays and... An investigation is underway into the gathering of a large group of people following a funeral in Leitrim this week. Aer Lingus Flight Delay Compensation. She is also keen to find out if it is possible to secure a refund from Aer Lingus on the basis that the flight was booked “pre-Covid”. She could opt to transfer the flights to next year. It’s incredibly frustrating. *. Vouchers can only be redeemed on aerlingus.com against the cost of Aer Lingus flights (including fares, taxes, charges and selected fees). Just keep putting me off. C'est une solution équitable qui vous permet d'arriver à destination en perturbant vos projets le moins possible. They are breaking the law by not refunding this cancelled flight fare. Well as I claimed mine as soon as the voucher offer was launched back in March this length of time is way beyond unreasonable ,heaven help those further down the list. Called again today (I hadn’t called since April) and the automated messages still say that they’re experiencing a high call volume and that they are processing vouchers, and something like “if you would like to speak to a representative about something OTHER THAN a voucher, you may stay on the line.” So I hung up … Aer Lingus claim the delay is due to overwhelming demand and that vouchers will be issued in the order they were requested. Further, the passenger can change the travel date or destination as per the new provision without any additional cost. Gardai are looking into the gathering which took place in Carrick-on-Shannon following the funeral on... Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. COUPON (4 days ago) Aer Lingus claim the delay is due to overwhelming demand and that vouchers will be issued in the order they were requested. As America wasn’t allowing people enter the country and due to this whole pandemic Aer Lingus allowed people change the flights only, at the time, to other dates as far as May 30 with a charge,’ she said. DISCOUNT (6 months ago) - Guests who have been notified by Aer Lingus that their flight is cancelled. Other queries seem equally straightforward. You've already flagged this A. Rodde 1 review. But it is only fair that once you get further out than that, there is some process to give passengers comfort that their claim has not simply got lost in the system. Well as I claimed mine as soon as the voucher offer was launched back in March this length of time is way beyond … Mr GF has booked flights to the United States for November and is worried about the ban on entry to Irish passport holders under emergency measures put in place by President Donald Trump to keep the virus out of the US. ‘With all the uncertainty Aer Lingus then sent me an email offering me to apply for a voucher, which I did on March 30. Unfortunately, the experience of Ms TQ and others seems to show that has not proved to be the case thus far. Aer Lingus notes that it has waived the usual fee imposed for changing flights but it warns that you might still have to pay more if the price of next year’s tickets are more than you originally paid for this year’s flights. We keep asking for our money and they just respond with a voucher offer. Rang them multiple times but they keep telling me it's not their department. To date we have issued over 345,000 vouchers and refunds to customers – this accounts for approximately 70% of the requests received.’. Meanwhile, Aer Lingus has issued around 250,000 vouchers to passengers whose flights could not operate due to the Covid-19 virus, according to its Chief Commercial Officer Dave Shepherd. Aer Lingus has extended the qualification window for its voucher offer to include travel booked through 30 June 2020 and it has extended its change fee waivers to cover travel through 30 September 2020. Has Dublin built too many luxury apartments? And there appears to be absolutely no way of inquiring about the state of play with an ongoing refund or voucher application even when weeks or months have passed with no information. Seems straightforward. More rather than fewer flights are likely to be operating by November so I wouldn’t bet on the success of that approach. But, all too often in the chaos, passengers feel that they have been forgotten. In the absence of normal business, airlines have had to turn to State supports while also cutting staff or putting them on shorter time. That may be so but some of the queries we have received do not seem overly complex and it is clear that some of the information people have been given – where they have been given any information at all – is simply wrong. Will Ulster Bank closure put mortgage drawdown at risk? Aer Lingus adds 10 per cent to refund voucher values 23 Mar 2020 by Mark Caswell Aer Lingus is boosting the value of its refund vouchers, for customers who are due to fly before May 31. However, this is not the only voucher that she is expecting from the airline. Last week’s query on passenger refunds has sparked a wave of emails from readers both here and in the United States who are clearly at their wit’s end in trying to secure refunds, or vouchers, from the airline. Share. Aer Lingus must offer passenger assistance and care in case of a long delay . Not least because I have been assured on several occasions and by different people in Aer Lingus that the type of ticket has no bearing on whether you can get a refund. 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