The organizers of the canceled concerts in Vienna of the American sensation Taylor Swift announced that they will refund the money to everyone who bought tickets. Hundreds of Bulgarians also had to go to the Austrian capital for the singer’s three performances. They respectively purchased plane tickets and nights in hotels or apartments through the Booking and Airbnb platforms. People have reached out to TravelNews for help on how they can get their money back. “In most cases, they can’t get their airfares and overnight stays back if they don’t have travel cancellation insurance,” said the president of the Consumer Protection Association, Pejo Mayorski. If they have one, they should immediately submit claims to the insurers, he emphasized. According to him, very few people take out trip cancellation insurance because it is expensive. Only tour operators necessarily include them in their packages.
The Chairman of the Association “Active Users” Bogomil Nikolov explained to TravelNews that if the plane tickets were purchased at a tariff without the possibility of changes or cancellation of the trip, the money will not be refunded by the airlines. “In that case, they will have to burn the tickets or walk to Vienna,” Nikolov said. The situation is similar with accommodation. If users have booked a hotel or apartment through the Booking and Airbnb platforms without a refund, then the money will not be refunded. But if they did with the option to cancel up to a few days before the trip, then they will be refunded or not charged at all.
Sonia Spasova, director of the European Consumer Center in Bulgaria, commented that if people bought the concert tickets, plane tickets and hotel accommodation as a package tour from a tour operator, then he should give them a full refund. “If they don’t have such a package or travel cancellation insurance, it all depends on the individual bookings,” she stressed. There are airlines that refund tickets, but for a fee. In any case, it is good to check on the carrier’s website. For overnight stays, it is possible to refund the amount paid if they were against the right of free cancellation or if a fee is paid. In this case, we also recommend that they contact the place of accommodation and check whether it is possible to postpone the accommodation for another period or to pay a smaller cancellation fee, Sonia Spasova explained.
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