Refund for flight?

Jenka123

I should be very grateful for your help regarding a forthcoming holiday.

We have booked to go to Portugal in August staying in a villa.  We are taking our children and grand-children (including ourselves there will be 6 adults and 3 children).  We have booked the flights through Ryanair, paying by credit card, at a cost of nearly £2,000, including extra leg room seats, priority boarding etc.  Because of coronavirus and as my husband and I are both in our 70s, we are very unsure about going at the present time and wonder if it would be wise to postpone the holiday.

1. Would I have any chance of getting a refund from Ryanair if we cancelled?

2. The flight times have been changed, departing 2¼ hours early in both directions.  The flight going out is now at 4.55 a.m.  which we would not have booked by choice and which will prove very difficult.  I have not as yet accepted the flight changes as I was unsure if this would make any difference to  our chances of getting a refund.

simonp

I'm no expert but the advice Martin continually gives out is you wouldn't get a refund for changing your mind I also don't believe the time change would have any affect. I was recently offered a refund by Vietnam Airlines but that's because they changed the date of a flight to the next day but not sure if that's a general rule or just for the airline.

Guess it depends on when in August. If it's early I'd still bet the flight will be cancelled anyway. 

bagand96

There's no definite answers at this time, because August is still a couple of months away and a lot will change by then.

1. Would I have any chance of getting a refund from Ryanair if we cancelled?

If you decide to cancel you would not be entitled to a refund.  If the flight operates and you choose not to travel, then again no refund.  If Ryanair cancel the flight, you would be entitled to a refund.  I would say though at this stage it's likely flights could be operating to Portugal by August.

2. The flight times have been changed, departing 2¼ hours early in both directions.  The flight going out is now at 4.55 a.m.  which we would not have booked by choice and which will prove very difficult.  I have not as yet accepted the flight changes as I was unsure if this would make any difference to  our chances of getting a refund.

I don't think Ryanair allow a free cancellation for a time change under 3 hours. If you were entitled to a refund, it would be offered in the link in the email.  It would take you to a page where you can accept the change or request a refund.  If it only takes you to a page where you acknowledge the change then there's no refund available.  Is it definitely just a time change?  There's a chance they've cancelled your original flight and put you on a different one.  If the flight number has changed then that would entitle you to a refund.

For now I would just sit on the flight reservation.  There's always the chance Ryanair might cancel or change the flights again, or Government advice may change again meaning they cancel etc.


Do you have travel insurance?  If you bought insurance before Covid19 then you may be covered if you can't travel due to Government advice or restrictions.  It would depend on the advice and rules in August though, and your level of cover.

Life__Goes__On

Just to confirm bagand96 advice with flight times. Ryanair will only let you cancel if the time change is over 3 hours
Do check it's the same flight number, as different rules  if the flight number has changed.

Jenka123

We do have a letter from Dr stating that husband should not go abroad during coronavirus (under which Insurers refunded us for a week's holiday back in March at the beginning of the pandemic), but if we did get refund now on that basis, presumably refund would only be for husband and myself, not for the rest of the party that we have paid for!?

Life__Goes__On

Jenka123 said:

We do have a letter from Dr stating that husband should not go abroad during coronavirus (under which Insurers refunded us for a week's holiday back in March at the beginning of the pandemic), but if we did get refund now on that basis, presumably refund would only be for husband and myself, not for the rest of the party that we have paid for!?

Yes, they would need their own insurance
Have you sorted out what will happen with the villa?

Jenka123

No, we have done about villa as yet because we were informed that we did not now have to pay the balance for the villa until August.