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Ryanair brings back rebooking fees for customers caught out by quarantine

Plane flying away with your money - TMG
Plane flying away with your money - TMG

Major airlines are turning their backs on hundreds of thousands of would-be holidaymakers, leaving them to foot the bill of quarantine-related cancellations.

The Government has struck a number of countries off its "green list" of places you can visit without having to quarantine for two weeks upon return. Britons planning to start their trip in the coming days must now begin the process of requesting refunds and claiming on their insurance, unless they are prepared to self-isolate for 14 days on return.

However, most airlines are leaving their flight schedules largely unchanged following the new restrictions. Most flights will still go ahead, meaning travellers are unable to request a full cash refund.

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Those flying with British Airways and Easyjet can move their flights at no extra cost or can choose to receive a voucher for the value of the booking.

But passengers of budget airline Ryanair must pay a change fee on any bookings made before June 10. Holidaymakers must therefore choose between forfeiting the full price of their ticket, paying a rebooking fee or travelling against the Foreign Office’s advice.

Martyn James of consumer rights firm Resolver, said it was "frustrating" that some airlines and travel companies have been taking this approach during lockdown.

He said: “There is no law compelling them to give a refund if the flight goes ahead. But it is unacceptable to charge to move a booking forward if they cannot go.

“And these are the people the travel industry needs in order to survive so vouchers should be offered to everybody affected. Otherwise, they risk losing the few people still travelling,” he said.

Four out of five Britons said they were anxious about travelling outside of Britain this summer, according to research by price comparison website Money.co.uk.

The addition of France to the "red list" has dealt a fresh blow to an already reeling travel industry. The international travel restrictions imposed since the outbreak of coronavirus have pushed major travel companies to the brink of insolvency, with 23 airlines having already collapsed.

A handful of travel agents are also making the most of the wave of derailed holidays to charge extra rebooking fees.

Claire Morris, whose flights to Slovenia and back in May were cancelled, said she is now being charged an additional £150 by travel agent MyTrip to rebook her holiday using vouchers. Ms Morris said she was persuaded into taking vouchers for flights that had been cancelled, rather than their entitled refunds.

However, when she attempted to use these vouchers she was told she had to pay “extortionate” fees to access them, and was ignored or hung up on, she said. This is despite the price of her new flights being £137 cheaper than the original cost with the same airline.

“I honestly think it’s disgusting. To actually be told I have to pay fees that are almost the cost of a new flight just to book the voucher, is a slap in the face. MyTrip are essentially stealing money from their customers.”

MyTrip could not be reached for comment.

Have you had to pay a rebooking fee to change your Ryanair flight? Share your experience in the comments section below