Following cancellation by Ryanair of my flights for 31 March (two flights x three people each) I applied for the refund option via the link on the website at the time. Received an acknowledgment confirming that refund would be applied to my original payment method. Afew days later, emails advising not to contact them due volume of enquiries - everything was being processed. Finally, a couple of days back, email advising that I'd been allocated a VOUCHER to be used by mid-April 2021. NOT what I asked for.
I actually had 49 flight sectors booked at the point of lockdown, several of these with Ryanair / Laudamotion. All my Summer travel windows are occupied by other existing bookings (if they happen). So that means my voucher use will be limited to a short window in mid-Winter. And whilst there were three people on my booking, the other two are in the C-19 'vulnerable' category so may not be minded to travel at all. Which leaves one very high-value 'voucher' to use in a short and unsuitable period of time. If the voucher arrangement had been valid for two years (accommodating S2021 season) I'd have stuck with it. But they are not. So I'm pressing on for refund as originally agreed.
They say that if you want a cash refund you must click on a link in your email and apply via the webpage. But the landing page is actually one long catalogue of ways to rebook using your voucher. Hmmm. Down near the bottom of the page, you are invited to contact Ryanair by 'CHAT' to progress your case further. There is a chatbot ... well, Ryanair won't have programmed that to process refunds! But they also list hours in which agents will engage with you to address your query. You have to select a category of enquiry and fill in afew details. Then the page says you're in a queue and the next available agent will engage with you. Well, on Saturday I joined that queue at 14:51BST. By 19:00BST (end of their Saturday staffed hours) ... no response whatsoever. Gave it afew more minutes. NOTHING. They just ignore you.
Haven't contacted them today. Instead chased up the even more evasive AIR EUROPA. They're the worst. Believe me ... they make Ryanair look like bloomin' saints.
Tomorrow, attention turns back to Ryanair. I'll try the contact channel again. They'd be wise to engage with me. I book about thirty sectors per year with them for myself and many more for friends who ask me to book their trips for them. I can afford to switch future business to alternative carriers if Ryanair make it clear they cannot be trusted to honour their contractual obligations. It's up to them.
Meanwhile, carriers which have so far handled refunds for me very well are: SAS SCANDINAVIAN, NORWEGIAN, IBERIA EXPRESS, EASYJET*. Jury is out on AIR BALTIC ... I've applied for cash refund with them but keep getting emails from them pleading with me to accept vouchers instead. Well, since the route I booked was a new service which will not now launch this year the answer to that one is 'no'. Hall of shame: AIR EUROPA, RYANAIR.
As a very frequent flyer, I'll remember the companies which behaved honourably through all of this. And those which let themselves down. Yes, they're under pressure. But that includes the ones which are doing things right.
Note: I've read others complaining about EasyJet non-refunds. They were fine with me (one booking refunded smoothly). But more EasyJet cancellations in process ... I'll see how they do with those.