Good news for travellers. Or rather, good news for those who wanted to travel and were unable to do so due to surprise cancellations unilaterally imposed by the airlines.
Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling and Blue Panorama have changed their policy corporate offering to consumers who have suffered cancellations also ticket refunds and not just vouchers to be used later. This was communicated by the Antitrust which at the end of September had launched four "sub-proceedings" against the four companies for the purpose of suspend the sale of tickets for canceled flights without offering any refund in return.
The cancellation - explains the Antitrust - was motivated by the spread of the contagion from Covid-19, although the services referred to a period and to destinations without the circulation limits established by government provisions. All of this, moreover, without providing assistance and adequate information".
The cancellations made by Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling and Blue Panorama concerned the months following the lockdowns, when the Governments had reopened the borders and therefore there would have been no formal obstacle.
But now that the airlines have decided to take a step back, conceding refunds due to travelers in the event of cancellation, the Antitrust has decided not to adopt any precautionary measure against them.
"Vueling, EasyJet, Blue Panorama and Ryanair, following the intervention of the Authority, have made changes to the communications sent and to the assistance and reimbursement procedures in the event of flight cancellation or rescheduling", the Antitrust states.
All four companies have limited the use of the reason for the Covid pandemic only to cases in which it was not objectively possible to operate the flight due to restrictions on the transfer of people. Not only that, and more importantly, "the carriers have provided for the possibility of requesting a financial refund with certain times and through automated procedures".
Any choice to request the voucher belongs only to consumers. Were finally strengthen assistance measures, through free contact tools and an increase in call center employees.
