Beth Bythrow’s Italian vacation was perfect, except for the ending. Lufthansa cancelled her flight from Naples to Boston and offered her a ticket on a flight leaving the next day. She never imagined she’d be fighting with the airline and her travel advisor six months later over $1,387.
“I would like a refund,” says Bythrow.
But hang on — does it work that way?
Bythrow’s case is somewhat complicated because it involves a travel agent, an airline, and a tour operator. And as you probably know, the more players, the greater the chances that something will go wrong.
Her story raises a few questions, too. Who is responsible when a tour flight is cancelled? What steps should you take when your flight is cancelled as part of a tour package? And how do you get a refund from an airline or tour operator?
Also, will Bythrow ever get her money back?
Let’s find out.
“Our return flight with Lufthansa was cancelled”
Bythrow and her husband had booked their Italy vacation through Collette, a reputable tour operator. They used a professional travel advisor, who guided them through the steps of selecting the right tour package and flights.
“It was a wonderful trip,” she says.
Wonderful until the last day, when they were scheduled to fly from Naples to Boston via Munich.
“Our return flight with Lufthansa was canceled,” she recalls. Lufthansa rebooked the couple on a flight returning to Boston the following day. However, they needed to return to the States that day, so they requested a refund from Lufthansa and booked their return tickets on another airline.
Here’s where things got interesting.
Bythrow told Lufthansa she would not accept the rescheduled flight, but the airline said she had to reject the change through her travel agent, who controlled the booking.
So she reached out to AAA, her travel advisor. She also contacted her tour director, informing him of the cancellation and that she had booked another flight arriving in Boston around the same time as her original flight.
According to Collette, AAA waited to notify it about the change in plan until after Bythrow and her husband had returned home. And that’s a problem, because Bythrow had booked her airline tickets as part of the tour package — and that meant she and her husband were technically “no-shows” for their rescheduled flight.
Bythrow had painted herself into a corner. Lufthansa would not refund her ticket because it hadn’t been properly notified of her cancellation by Collette. It looked like she would have to eat the cost of a new flight.
Or would she?
Who is responsible when a tour flight is cancelled?
If you book a flight through your tour operator, then you have to make any ticket changes through your tour operator — not your airline, and not your travel agent.
Collette’s terms and conditions are clear about its responsibilities: It is not responsible and will provide no refund if your flight schedule changes. Bythrow’s airline or travel advisor should have told her that she could not get a refund for her ticket.
But wait! What about EC 261, the important European consumer protection regulation? Doesn’t it require that the airline offer a refund if it cancels your flight? It does.
So in this case, Collette’s terms are in conflict with European consumer regulations. I have seen problems like this before, and unfortunately, the tour operator will likely retain any refund it receives from the airline, citing its own policy.
In a perfect world, Collette would have told Bythrow that her flight was rescheduled and offered her the choice of a new flight the next day or a refund of her return trip. Instead, it appears she found out about the schedule change through Lufthansa and then went on a wild goose chase to find out who could help her.
What steps should you take when your flight is cancelled as part of a tour package?
As I note in my complete guide to booking a tour, a tour package can be complicated. A tour operator like Collette assembles various trip components into a single package. It offers a bulk rate for flights, hotel rooms, and meals, and passes the savings along to you. This can sometimes make calculating a fare refund a little tricky.
The tour operator should notify your travel agent of any changes to your itinerary, who should, in turn, inform you. If the tour has already started, then your tour director should tell you about the changes. You should not have to find out about it directly from the airline or rail operator — although that sometimes happens, as it did for Bythrow.
If a change occurs, there is a chain of command.
- Ask your tour operator about your options. It is generally up to the company to fix the problem unless you’ve booked airfare separately. Then it’s up to you.
- If your tour operator doesn’t respond, contact your travel advisor. They may have connections with the tour operator that aren’t available to you. Also, reach out to your travel insurance company, since you might have to file a claim. Some travel insurance companies also have 24/7 help lines that might be able to assist in rescheduling your flight.
- If you can’t reach your tour operator or your airline, then you may need to take matters into your own hands. But be aware that the agent or airline may not reimburse you if you decide to book a replacement flight on your own.
Bythrow didn’t follow these steps. Instead, she reached out to her airline, then her travel agent and finally her tour operator. She should have done it in reverse order. And that caused problems.
How do you get a refund from an airline or tour operator?
Bythrow sent a series of polite emails to her agent and tour operator, requesting a refund for her return flight.
But Collette said its hands were tied.
“We are at the mercy of the airline,” it told her in an email. “Please keep in mind that there are processes in place that need to be followed. However, Collette will make every attempt possible to work with Lufthansa Airlines on your behalf.”
But Lufthansa would not budge. Its records indicated that she had not properly notified it that she had rejected the new flight — and therefore had accepted it. And since she didn’t fly on the replacement flight, she was a no-show, so she would not be receiving a refund.
Bythrow was following all the correct steps this time:
- Contact the airline and request a refund for your money.
- Enlist the help of your travel agent in pressuring the airline.
- Ask the tour operator for help.
And if that doesn’t work, you can always appeal to one of the travel providers’ executives. I publish the names, numbers, and email addresses of the managers at Lufthansa, Collette, and AAA on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
But how would this refund misadventure end?
“It has been a frustrating six months”
Even though Bythrow had made a few mistakes, our advocacy team didn’t think she should have to lose the value of her return ticket.
So our advocate, Dwayne Coward, reached out to Collette on her behalf. The tour operator didn’t respond, so he contacted her travel agent at AAA. The agent also did not respond, so Dwayne contacted AAA at the national level. And finally, he got a response.
“Our travel team spoke with Collette, and Collette has now agreed to refund Ms. Bythrow $1,387 for the unused flight,” a AAA representative said. “Any additional funds for the new flight purchased would be considered through an insurance claim, which we understand she already filed. Because the airline had rebooked the passengers on a different flight, which they declined, they unfortunately do not treat it as a cancellation.”
Maybe the moral of this story is that you need to be crystal clear about whether you’re accepting or rejecting a schedule change — and tell the correct party.
For her part, Bythrow is happy with the resolution.
“This is great news – long overdue,” she told us. “Thank you for your help with this. It has been a frustrating six months.”
By Christopher Elliott
BIO:
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at [email protected].
