Airline refunds: What are your rights as a consumer?'

Travel refunds are at the front of many people’s mind in the COVID era — but what are your rights?

Receiving a full refund within 14 days is your right as a consumer if significant parts of the package have to be changed.
You also have the right to cancel your holiday if the government warns against travelling to that destination and the surrounding area, even if the organisers don’t cancel the trip.

The regulator says passengers should have reasonable expectation of safety, enjoyment and freedom from anxiety, which they would not fully get if government advice changed.
Since March last year, the Competition and Markets Authority has received over 23,000 complaints about cancelled flights and holidays.

The CMA is now investigating whether British Airways and Ryan Air broke consumer law for failing to refund passengers for flights they could not legally take.
Your rights must be clearly set out to you by organisers of package holidays, because you are entitled to cancel without a termination fee if there are unavoidable circumstances at what would have been your destination.