Tap Air Portugal reschedules — and then cancels — John Schmidt’s flights. He wants a refund, but the airline is providing a voucher. Who is suitable?
Q: In August 2019 I booked two spherical-journey tickets to Lisbon, Portugal, on Faucet Air Portugal, employing Flight Community, an on-line vacation agency. In March 2020, two months before my scheduled departure, Tap notified me of a important agenda change. My new outbound flight departed a working day later on than originally scheduled. My new return flight still left two several hours earlier.
Contemplating these variations, I asked for a full refund, as all my journey options had been primarily negated. Nearly two months later, Flight Network notified me that my flights have been canceled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Tap was presenting vouchers. I reminded Flight Community that my refund ask for was due to adjustments produced by Faucet and not the pandemic.
Flight Community once more conveyed my ask for for a total refund. Faucet responded to Flight Community with, “We will recommend our refund department of passenger’s determination,” and, “This scenario will be closed.” Not incredibly reassuring. I understand these are making an attempt times. Nevertheless, I am worried that my ask for might have been discarded or worse yet, that my refund may well have been indefinitely postponed. Can you aid me get my refund? — John Schmidt, New York Metropolis, New York
A: You’re appropriate, this refund request has nothing to do with the pandemic. Tap Air Portugal improved your flight by an overall day. TAP’s common circumstances of carriage (the legal arrangement between you and the airline) deal with your predicament. Part 8.2.1 states if the airline cancels your flight, it will give you a comprehensive refund of the ticket not flown, in the variety of vacation credit history or refund as a result of the very same variety of payment you manufactured when you procured the ticket.
Faucet canceled your flight and rescheduled you for the future working day. Case shut.
So what went wrong? It looks like some thing could have gotten dropped in translation involving Flight Network and Tap. It’s correct that you require to make a refund request as a result of your on the net agent, but almost nothing is stopping you from also getting in touch with the airline right. I listing the names, quantities and electronic mail addresses of all the Tap Air Portugal administrators on my shopper advocacy internet site, Elliott.org. A short, well mannered e mail to one particular of them may well have helped. Or not.
At the time you sought a refund, Faucet was hoping to process extra refund requests than it had ever observed at after. And in that sense, the pandemic had a lot to do with your refund challenge. It appears as if your scenario obtained thrown in with the relaxation of them, with a person determining that a voucher was your only option. Easy to understand — and unfortunate.
I contacted Tap Air Portugal on your behalf. A consultant named you and stated a “system glitch or human error” had delayed your refund. Faucet returned your money, as promised.