Daily Mail

What to do if your airline goes bust

-

HUNDREDS of passengers found their flights cancelled after British airline Flybmi collapsed last week. It is just the latest carrier to go bust — so what are your rights?

Booking flights as part of a package holiday gives you extra protection. Under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangemen­ts Regulation­s 2018, your travel agent should give a refund or offer a replacemen­t holiday.

If you are already abroad, the firm should arrange your flights home.

Ask to see its Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) to check everything you booked — hotel, flights, car hire, and so on — is covered.

If you paid for flights costing more than £100 with a credit card, you should get your money back under the Consumer Credit Act, which means your card provider is equally liable if your airline goes bust. You may not be covered if you booked through a third party.

If you paid by debit card, you can try to make a ‘chargeback’ claim with your bank. You must typically do this within 120 days.

You may also be covered by travel insurance. However, only about half of standard policies offer scheduled airline failure cover. A further 7 pc offer it as an optional extra.

Don’t wait until just before departure to buy insurance or you will not be covered if your firm fails or illness forces you to cancel.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom