Can we claim for being stuck in Oz?

Mrs S.T. writes: We were left stranded in Australia in March last year, when our Qantas flights were stopped. Tui’s representatives were very helpful and eventually we got a Qatar Airways flight back to the UK. But we have not been able to make contact with Tui for a refund of the return flights we had booked, or the consequent cost of the extra four nights’ accommodation in Sydney.

WHEN Qantas cancelled your return flights because of the pandemic, you faced a bill of about £ 3,500 to get back to Britain. This was far more than the original cost of the Qantas flights, but you reckoned it was worth it to get home. I contacted Tui, which blamed delays on the sheer number of refund claims it was handling, but within a few days your credit card account received £1,192, which was the cost of the cancelled flight.

However, Tui explained that it was an agent, and the cost of your extra nights in a hotel in Sydney should be met by a different company, Austravel.

I contacted Austravel. It did not reply to repeated invitations to comment but has suddenly paid you £715, which you say is more than you expected. So after months of stress you can put this behind you.