My £1k flight was cancelled last minute – I still haven’t had a refund after seven months and no one will help
Q)I STILL haven’t been refunded for a flight with Bamboo Airways that was cancelled almost a year ago.
I booked the flight from London Gatwick to Hanoi, Vietnam for just over £1,000 through lastminute.com, but it was cancelled at the last minute.
Bamboo Airways is ignoring me and lastminute.com says it’s not their responsibility to help me.
It’s so much money to lose but I’m getting absolutely nowhere.
Can you help get my cash back?
Olivia Fry, London
A)THERE are a number of reasons you might book through a travel agent, including some extra protection if things go wrong.
But booking through an agent isn’t the same as booking a package holiday, and this confuses a lot of travellers.
If your flight is cancelled and you booked a package holiday, the travel agent must offer an alternative holiday or refund the full trip.
If you just book a flight through an agent and the flight is cancelled, the agent should manage the cancellation for you, but they aren’t responsible for refunding any costs.
For example, they should liaise with the airline on your behalf and request a refund or compensation for you, or rebook you onto another flight.
But it is still ultimately up to the airline to provide the refund.
That said, I wasn’t very impressed that lastminute.com said there was nothing it could do, as it should have been chasing the refund from Bamboo Airways for you.
And I think travel agents should only be partnering with airlines they can be sure will play by the rules if there’s a problem.
When I got in touch with both firms, I also found Bamboo Airways near impossible to contact.
However, I managed to get your case escalated by lastminute.com, which said it was liaising with Bamboo Airways to find a resolution.
After a lengthy back and forth, I’m pleased to say lastminute.com is now getting your refund processed,
A spokesperson for the firm said it will contact you directly to let you know.
They added: “In the sale of standalone flight tickets we act as an agent and the transport contract is between the customer and the airline directly.
“Therefore, as agents, we are obliged to follow the rules and timings set out by the airline.”
Our Squeeze Team has won back £202,634 for readers.
How to contact our Squeeze Team
Our Squeeze Team wins back money for readers who have had a refund or billing issue with a company and are struggling to get it resolved.
We’ve won back thousands of pounds for readers including £22,000 for a man asked to pay back benefits to the DWP, £2,800 for a family who had a hellish holiday and £635 for a seller scammed on eBay.
To get help, write to our consumer champion, Laura Purkess.
I love getting your letters and emails, so do write to me at squeezeteam@thesun.co.uk or Laura Purkess, The Sun, 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF.
Tell me what happened and don’t forget to provide your phone number so I can ring you if I need more information. Share with me any reference number the company has given you relating to your case, or any account name/number if you’re a customer.
Include the following line so I can go to the firm on your behalf: “I give permission for [company’s name] to discuss my case with Laura Purkess at The Sun”.
Please include your full name and location in your email/letter.