Following talks with the European Commission over passenger rights and the recovery of the travel industry, 16 airlines have agreed to refund customers who had flights cancelled amid Covid-19.
Many Irish holidaymakers were left short over the last 18 months with flight cancellations seeing customers being sent vouchers instead of refunds.
Following talks, some airlines have finally agreed to clear their refund backlogs, have promised to ensure customers are better informed in future and will now only offer vouchers if passengers choose to take them.
Ryanair, British Airways, Easyjet, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, TAP, and Wizz Air were among the 16 companies that agreed to reimburse customers after it was found they were acting against EU consumer protection rules.
In a statement released on Thursday, Didier Reynders, European commissioner for justice, said; "In the early phase of the pandemic, some airlines pushed vouchers on passengers.
"They were acting against EU consumer protection rules. That was unacceptable."
Meanwhile, Monique Goyens, general director of the European Consumer Organisation CEUC, said; "Airlines have breached European consumer rights on a massive scale during the pandemic.
“It’s time for airlines to clean up their act. Many consumers across Europe are still waiting for their money back, for flights cancelled during the first lockdowns in 2020.”
No further information has been published in relation to how each passenger can go about applying for their refund, with updates likely from individual airlines in the coming weeks.
