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TRAVEL agents have objected to claims by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary that all customers who have requested a refund have received it.
r O’Leary denied there were still delays with refunds for canceled flights.
Last year there was a storm of protests from airline customers over long delays and difficulties in recovering money for missed flights.
O’Leary told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland: “All customers who have requested a refund have received it.
“There are some with coupons that have the option of a cash refund if they want it; they will receive it within five days. There is no delay in refunds, they have all been issued. “
But the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) contradicted this, saying that travel agents continue to have trouble accessing Ryanair flight refunds.
He said the problem continues to plague both traditional travel agents and online travel agents. ITAA Executive Director Pat Dawson called on Ryanair “to be honest and honest with the public when it comes to refunds”, to ensure that affected customers are reimbursed for interrupted or canceled flights.
He said that since the beginning of the pandemic many consumers have postponed or canceled their vacations in accordance with restrictions on non-essential travel.
However, as these ‘ghost flights’ were still run with few or no passengers on board, they are not offered a refund on their booking.
Instead, customers are offered the option to reschedule their vacation or receive a voucher from the airline.
“The ITAA believes that based on current government advice regarding non-essential travel, these flights should be canceled and the consumer should receive a refund,” he said.
ITAA said member travel agents have submitted thousands of claims to Ryanair to reimburse their customers with affected flight bookings, and the airline withholds refunds to travel agents and customers alike.
Those affected include a small travel agency in Munster that owes € 60,000, a travel agency specializing in school excursions that expects reimbursements of € 500,000 and a prominent travel agency that expects reimbursements for 1,400 clients.
Overall, ITAA member travel agents are owed approximately € 20 million in refund payments from Ryanair, Dawson said.
ITAA said it has been in talks with the Aviation Regulatory Commission (CAR) to try to come up with a solution, as well as to establish contact with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and contact Ryanair directly.
The association said funds held by licensed travel agents are guaranteed by the state in the event of insolvency, offering greater protection to clients if a tavel agent or tour operator becomes insolvent and goes out of business. .
Last month, Ryan dismissed as “fake news” a survey that rated Virgin Atlantic the worst airlines for customer service by people who tried to get a refund after their flight was canceled.
The two airlines scored “abysmally low” in a survey by UK consumer magazine ‘Which? Trip’.
Eight out of 10 customers said they were not satisfied with the refund service they received after their flight was canceled last year.
Ryanair was persistently criticized last year in this country for delays in paying refunds and delivering coupons to people when they specifically requested their money back.
Irish independent
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