Flight cancelled? Now you can also request a refund for Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling and Blue Panorama

The Authority suspends disciplinary proceedings because Ryanair, Vueling, EasyJet and Blue Panorama have decided to allow passengers to choose between vouchers and refunds for flights canceled for no reason

A passenger looks at the departures board at the airport (press office photo) Travelers who had their flights canceled will now be able to choose a cash refund instead of a voucher. Following the proceedings launched at the end of September by the Competition and Market Authority (Agcm), the airlines Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling and Blue Panorama have decided to also offer the option of reimbursement in the event of cancellations that would not have been justified by the Covid-19 emergency.

Taking note of the new policy of the companies, the Authority has therefore decided not to adopt precautionary measures against them, while continuing with the investigations into any unfair commercial practices.

The issue concerns in particular the unilateral decision by the four carriers to also cancel some flights that were sold after June 3, 2020, when the provision that allowed travel again after the lockdown came into force.

The companies have continued with this practice by effectively obliging travelers to choose only the valid voucher option for a new booking , as if it were still the procedure relating to the emergency. Those cancellations, however, as Agcm points out, could not be justified by the emergency situation and therefore must be treated according to the rule that also provides for the possibility for travelers to choose a cash refund.

Following the intervention of the authority, Vueling, EasyJet, Blue Panorama and Ryanair have therefore decided to change their terms of service and offer the option of reimbursement in particular when the reason for the pandemic cannot be applied. In addition, the carriers have also enhanced the free assistance tools for passengers who found themselves in the situation of having their flight canceled.

Against the practice of only vouchers as compensation for undue cancellations, as early as June the National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) was also pronounced, underlining that Community legislation no. 261/2004, on the other hand, provides for the right of travelers to obtain full reimbursement of the sum spent.

Moreover, the European Union had also opened an infringement procedure against Italy in July because it would have allowed exceptionally companies to exclude the option of cash refunds, preferring instead that of vouchers.