The story of sold and then canceled flights ends well for end users due to the pandemic, without being offered a refund as an alternative to the voucher. For these behaviors – and for the failure to comply with the information and assistance obligations – the Competition and Market Authority has opened a formal investigation into four airlines at the end of September – Blue Panorama, Easyjet, Ryanair e Vueling. Now all four sub-proceedings have been closed by the AGCM without taking precautionary measures; investigations on any unfair commercial practices continue.
Since the Authority intervened, something has changed: in the first place companies have started offering refunds as well and not just vouchers anymore, through certain and automated procedures. One of the behaviors disputed in recent weeks also concerned the inadequacy of the assistance service – defined by the Authority burdensome e needy – which in some cases involved the need to contact the airline by telephone by calling a telephone number at a surcharge. On this point, the Authority clarifies:
carriers have provided for the possibility of requesting monetary reimbursement with certain times and through automated procedures. Any choice to request the voucher is left only to the consumer. Vueling, EasyJet, Blue Panorama and Ryanair also strengthened consumer assistance measures by providing free contact tools and through a significant increase in call center staff.
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The other element concerns one more precise application of the rules that provide for the possibility of canceling flights due to force majeure. Specifically, the companies involved have limited the use of the reason for the Covid pandemic only to cases in which it was not objectively possible to operate the flight due to restrictions on the transfer of people. The carriers had previously been accused of having canceled flights scheduled for a period in which traffic restrictions were no longer in force due to the health emergency.
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Immediately after the opening of the investigation procedure Ryanair had made it known that it had punctually complied with the legislation that introduced restrictions on transfers of people and that it had also offered cash refunds in the event of flight cancellation. Similar procedures were adopted by the other three companies involved as the Authority now underlines.
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Credits opening image: Pixabay
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