CAA Response to Complaint Over Delays To Ryanair Refunds Pt III

I recently wrote to the CAA's CEO over concerns about the delays and the law-breaking and bad practice of Ryanair and their refund antics. Today I've received the following response, which I will be following up in due course. I'm not happy to have received this 'brush off' from the CAA as this problem with Ryanair is well documented with Martin Lewis fighting on behalf of consumers. The CAA hasn't heard the last of me, this fight is far from over!

On 3 Jun 2020, at 10:58, Harris Alison <Alison.Harris@caa.co.uk> wrote:

Dear Councillor Newport,

Thank you for your email.  Richard Moriarty, our Chief Executive, has asked me personally to respond on his behalf.

We are aware that some customers are experiencing delays in receiving a refund where their airline has cancelled their flight.

Under the law, consumers are entitled to receive a refund for their cancelled flights, despite the challenges the industry is currently facing. We support airlines offering consumers vouchers and rebooking alternatives where it makes sense for the consumer.  But it is important that consumers are given a clear option to request a cash refund without unnecessary barriers. We expect airlines to provide refunds for cancelled flights as soon as practically possible, whilst appreciating there are operational challenges for airlines in the current circumstances.

We have launched a review into how airlines are handling refunds during the coronavirus pandemic, and will consider if any action should be taken to ensure that consumer rights are protected.

Your enquiry is very helpful in informing us about the sorts of issues that are giving rise to concerns, which in turn will help us prioritise any further action we may need to consider. In terms of resolving your individual issue, we can only take enforcement action in the collective interests of consumers rather than based on individual queries. However, there are ways to further your individual complaint, the first action being to complain to Ryanair if you have not already done so.

If you are unable to resolve your complaint with Ryanair within eight weeks, you can escalate this through our Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if your flight was departing from a UK airport.  You can do this on our website here.

We appreciate that this is an uncertain and frustrating situation, however we hope that this information is helpful.

Kind regards
Alison Harris
Personal Assistant to Non-Executive Directors & Projects
Chair's Office

CAA Head Office - Aviation House, Beehive Ring Road, Crawley West Sussex, RH6 0YR
CAA London Office from 01 July 19 -  CAA 5th Floor, Westferry House, 11 Westferry Circus, London, E14 4HD

www.caa.co.uk
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