Ryanair Refunds

Paul58 wrote:

Mickey Braw wrote:I had a flight cancelled by Ryanair, they advised me and it was made very easy to claim a refund. They were up front by stating that the refund would be made ASAP but that there may be a delay as they had a backlog. I think they have acted reasonably.

Out of interest, did you get your refund?

I claimed around the same time and was also promised a full refund ASAP. I've just got an email of them re-offering a voucher again or another link to nowhere to try to claim a refund.

Ryanair are going to have to be an awful lot less than other carriers if I'm every going to consider them again. I'm coming to realise that cost isn't everything when flying and when you start to add up the extras Ryanair aren't even that cheap.

No I did not get the refund promised in 4/5 working days (but bear with us).
I received an email yesterday offering me a voucher or a refund, it also said that if I did want a refund (that I´d already requested) I would be added to a queue that would be paid out once the emergency had been lifted, when will that be?
I continued on the refund route and got nowhere. I am seething!!
Ryanair has once again resorted to sharp practice as per the norm, it says all you need to know about the spiv, O´Leary, who runs the company. One thing´s for sure you´ll have to dig deep to fly on his planes when travel restrictions are lifted. If I return to the UK I will drive for the foreseeable future rather than flying in an incubator.
I´m going to turn my attention to getting my money back when I have more time tomorrow. I´ll let you know how I get on.

They’re all operating a Ponzi Scheme. You’ll get your money when someone, further down the line, books their seats.

In essence, we’re all now shareholders but without the advantage of a dividend.

Sage wrote:Why can't people claim off their credit cards if RA won't pay the refund ? I believe you have to have spent at least £100 on the c/card to make the claim.

My flights are usually <£100 and the credit card fee for RA is disproportionately high.

I used my CC usually for anything I purchase online to utilise the additional insurance, but if it costs me to do so so, and I am confident in the legitimacy of the supplier, I sometimes deviate from that approach. In the years I have used RA, I have never had any issue and didn't include global pandemic in my assessments

I remain hopeful of RA's longevity through the other side of this. If they don't, frankly I have a whole heap more financial shit storm to worry about that getting back £500 or so worth of flights (see also - villa for sale)

Virgin Australia have gone into administration.
Richard Branson has asked the UK Gov for a £500M loan or Virgin will go bust.
My confidence in RyanAir surviving is not high.

.....and I've spent almost a £1000 on flights with Easy Jet this year that I doubt will happen.

The good thing for me is being in the UK, if the airline and/or credit card don't refund we have the small claims court to fall back on.

Sage wrote:Virgin Australia have gone into administration.
Richard Branson has asked the UK Gov for a £500M loan or Virgin will go bust.
My confidence in RyanAir surviving is not high.

.....and I've spent almost a £1000 on flights with Easy Jet this year that I doubt will happen.

The good thing for me is being in the UK, if the airline and/or credit card don't refund we have the small claims court to fall back on.

Virgin has been a habitual loser (Branson is another spiv). Ryanair is far from that, if there is one airline that can ride out this storm, it´s the highly profitable Ryanair.

There are lots of people who are hoping you are right.
I just don't see how any airline can operate safely whilst maintaining social distancing. It's difficult to see how any airline, even those with deep pockets can survive until 2021 when a vaccine may be available.

I'm also on the Ryanair refund merry-go-round. Our cancelled flights for March were paid on Mastercard,& we have annual travel insurance from Staysure. Refund request submitted to Ryanair online 20.03.2020 after hours of phone calling to rectify initial problem of their system 'not recognising' our booking reference no. Guidance said will be refunded within 7 days. Email then received saying refund will be within 28 days due to delays. Another email received 20.04.2020 saying no refund being issued now, but heres a voucher. Phoned Ryanair again, refused the voucher & asked for refund. Told it'll go 'in a queue' to be repaid after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. Made a claim on Ryanair website under EU261 directive, this was turned down. Made a claim to Mastercard, no response. Contacted Insurance - got cut off after recorded message said go online to make a claim. Went online, insurance guidance says youre not covered unless you'd paid extra for 'Travel Disruption Extension'. Cant do UK small claims court as Ryanair are based in Ireland. Can appeal to Civil Aviation Authority but they have no power to enforce decisions, so Ive signed a petition for this to be taken up by the UK Government as airlines & Holiday companies are acting unlawfully by refusing refunds. Stay safe everyone, hope we'll be able to get back to our place in the sun if this dreadful disease can be brought under control

Sage wrote:There are lots of people who are hoping you are right.
I just don't see how any airline can operate safely whilst maintaining social distancing. It's difficult to see how any airline, even those with deep pockets can survive until 2021 when a vaccine may be available.

Well O'Leary has said if these social distancing measures are in place then RA won't be flying anyway. I have to say, I agree the idea behind it is nonsensical. The idea you could ever enforce social distancing in the entire airport process is a joke. The security queue would be almost the length of your flight path in the first place. Then the idea that leaving the middle seat free will somehow give the necessary distance... of course the virus only transfers in a sideways direction rather than in front/behind. Utterly absurd to think it can operate in those manners.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/22/ryanair-boss-says-airline-wont-fly-with-idiotic-social-distancing-rules

Well I suppose they could alternate between row 1, occupants in both window seats, row 2, 1 person in an aisle seat, then row 3 back to 1 person in each window seat and so on. It means though that 3 people would be taking up 12 seats so fares would need to quadruple. Hostesses would need PPE and presumably they would ask all passengers to wear face masks.

Trouble is that would there be anywhere open at their destination? Fine if you've got a second holiday home but those numbers of travellers will be limited.

Again it all boils down to a vaccine been available otherwise we may not have any airlines left. Can't see how any airline can accommodate enough passengers safely to give us reasonable fares.