Faucet Air Portugal rescheduled my flight — can I get a refund?
Dear Vacation TROUBLESHOOTER: In August 2019, I booked two roundtrip tickets to Lisbon on Faucet Air Portugal, employing Flight Network, an on the net journey company. In March 2020, two months right before my scheduled departure, Tap notified me of a important program transform. My new outbound flight departed a working day afterwards than at first scheduled. My new return flight still left two hrs before.
Contemplating these modifications, I requested a total refund, as all my vacation strategies ended up basically negated. Nearly two weeks later, Flight Network notified me that my flights ended up canceled because of to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Tap was offering vouchers. I reminded Flight Community that my refund request was thanks to variations made by Tap and not the pandemic.
Flight Network once more conveyed my ask for for a full refund. Faucet responded to Flight Network with “We will recommend our refund office of passenger’s decision” and “This case will be shut.” Not really reassuring. I fully grasp these are trying times. Even so, I am involved that my request may possibly have been discarded or worse still, that my refund may perhaps have been indefinitely postponed. Can you help me get my refund?
— John Schmidt, New York
Respond to: You are proper, this refund request has nothing to do with the pandemic. Tap Air Portugal transformed your flight by an complete working day. TAP’s general situations of carriage (the lawful settlement amongst you and the airline) tackle your scenario. Section 8.2.1 states that if the airline cancels your flight, it will give you a total refund of the ticket not flown, in the type of travel credit score or refund by the identical kind of payment you designed when you obtained the ticket.
Faucet canceled your flight and rescheduled you for the future working day. Scenario closed.
So what went mistaken? It appears to be like like one thing may perhaps have gotten shed in translation among Flight Community and Faucet. It’s legitimate that you have to have to make a refund request via your on the web agent, but absolutely nothing is stopping you from also calling the airline instantly. I record the names, quantities and e mail addresses of all the Tap Air Portugal administrators on my buyer advocacy website at www.elliott.org/firm-contacts/faucet-air-portugal/. A temporary, well mannered e-mail to one of them could possibly have helped. Or not.
At the time you sought a refund, Tap was striving to course of action far more refund requests than it experienced at any time seen at once. And in that perception, the pandemic experienced a lot to do with your refund issue. It looks as if your scenario obtained thrown in with the rest of them, with somebody choosing that a voucher was your only alternative. Easy to understand — and regrettable.
I contacted Tap Air Portugal on your behalf. A representative referred to as you and mentioned a “system glitch or human error” had delayed your refund. Faucet returned your cash, as promised.
