With uncertain times ahead, it’s important to know your rights as travellers, especially if you had upcoming trip plans that were affected. Lucky for you, both the US Dept of Transportation and the European Commission have guidelines in place for airlines to follow, which might just work in your favour.
Do you have a flight booked to, from, or within the United States?
The US Dept of Transportation requires that all US and foreign airlines with flights travelling to, from, or within the US provide refunds to travellers when the airline cancels the flight.
For example, if a traveller has a flight to New York with Air Canada, and the airline cancels the flight, the traveller is entitled to a full refund on their airfare.
Do you have a flight booked to, from or within the European Union (EU)?
The European Commission requires that any airline with flights travelling within or scheduled to leave Europe provides a refund to travellers when the airline cancels the flight. For cancelled flights into Europe, refunds are available for all European airlines. This applies to EU member countries and the non-EU members that are part of the Schengen zone (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland).
For example, if a traveller has a flight from Montreal to Paris with Air France, and the airline cancels the flight, the traveller is entitled to a refund on their airfare. But if a traveller had booked the flight with Air Canada and that flight was cancelled, Air Canada is not required to issue a refund under the EU’s Air Passenger Rights, although they might choose to do so.
How does this impact Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption coverage?
- TuGo’s Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance covers non-refundable pre-paid travel costs. Since these expenses are refundable by the airline, these expenses aren’t covered under our policy.
- You’re entitled to refunds when these flights are cancelled by your airline, so please contact the airline directly for a refund. In the case of flights into Europe, if the non-EU airline does not issue a refund, you may be eligible to make a claim for non-refundable expenses.
- Unfortunately, not all airlines are following these obligations, so you may need to escalate your request to obtain your refund.
What if I cancelled my flight?
If you cancelled your flight yourself, the airlines are not obligated to provide a refund under these circumstances.
Don’t forget: if you’re already receiving a refund and/or credit voucher from an airline, cruise or other travel provider, you’re ineligible for a claim. Keeping you informed about these ineligible expenses will not only help save you time, but frustration, too! Remember, these unprecedented times will pass, and we will travel again.
Questions? Chat with us online via TuGo’s chatbot, accessible on the bottom right-hand corner of this page.
Take care,
Linnea
