EasyJet Refund/Voucher Query

Georga0001

Flights were booked for July this year from Southend-on-Sea & obviously cancelled due to Covid-19. We decided to get vouchers rather than refund to help the airline & then when flights were released for July 2021 we booked them.
However EasyJet have announced they will not be operating flights from Southend-on-Sea & will not give us a refund because we initially accepted a voucher.
We want a refund because it’s looking like they’ll only be flying out of Gatwick but we would rather Stansted as closer so will need to use a different airline!
Any advise would be appreciated.

[Deleted User]

If Easyjet announced the changes to your airport after you booked from Southend to Gatwick then I would think this would be regarded as a significant change whichever way you paid for it?   I mean it must be over 50 miles surely?   Not easy to get to/from.    Just double check the t's and c's and then bang in a strongly worded complaint, quoting the appropriate terms etc.    I have a lot of sympathy with most airlines at moment but, in this case, I think they are trying it on.    

Georga0001

Tedber said:

If Easyjet announced the changes to your airport after you booked from Southend to Gatwick then I would think this would be regarded as a significant change whichever way you paid for it?   I mean it must be over 50 miles surely?   Not easy to get to/from.    Just double check the t's and c's and then bang in a strongly worded complaint, quoting the appropriate terms etc.    I have a lot of sympathy with most airlines at moment but, in this case, I think they are trying it on.    

Yeah EasyJet decided after we’d accepted the voucher & rebooked flights, that they definitely weren’t flying out of Southend-on-Sea anymore & probably not Stansted or even Luton; so all our next nearest airports!
Feeling let down doesn’t cover it, as we honestly went the voucher route so they wouldn’t go bankrupt! ☹️☹️😤😤

eskbanker

They're not actually changing a specific booked flight to depart from Gatwick instead of Southend though, are they?  They're presumably cancelling a booked flight altogether, in which case I believe you are entitled to a refund in cash rather than another voucher, regardless of your decision to accept a voucher for an earlier (separate) cancellation.  I can see why they'd argue that the 'refund' would be back to the same method of payment but personally would see that as being overridden by EC 261/2004: "shall be paid in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques or, with the signed agreement of the passenger, in travel vouchers and/or other services"

Georga0001

eskbanker said:

They're not actually changing a specific booked flight to depart from Gatwick instead of Southend though, are they?  They're presumably cancelling a booked flight altogether, in which case I believe you are entitled to a refund in cash rather than another voucher, regardless of your decision to accept a voucher for an earlier (separate) cancellation.  I can see why they'd argue that the 'refund' would be back to the same method of payment but personally would see that as being overridden by EC 261/2004: "shall be paid in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques or, with the signed agreement of the passenger, in travel vouchers and/or other services"

Yeah that’s what I was thinking I agree with you! I’ve passed this onto my friend who booked our flights… Thank you 😊