About a month ago, I posted an article detailing the process to get refunded from canceled flights due to the coronavirus. I received credits from American Airlines and United Airlines (I would have preferred a refund), the online transactions were so simple that I took the credits to avoid having to call since I’ll be traveling later (hopefully) this year.
At that moment, I was also waiting for the resolution of canceled award tickets. A month later, I finally got answers from British Airways and Avianca. It’s my goal to be unbiased and objective in doing these reports. My goal is to inform you of the struggles you might have to face dealing with airlines during these trying times.
DFW-Guatemala Roundtrip 3/18/20-3/24/20
- Status: Resolved
- Carrier: American Airlines
- Ticket type: Award ticket using British Airways (BA) Avios
- Amount: $225.04 + 8800 Avios
- Difficulty: High
- Outcome: Airline credit + Refund + Avios
- First contact attempt: 3/16/20
- Resolution date: 4/23/20
- Points of contact: 10
Each leg of this trip was a separate reservation and received distinct resolutions because I handled them differently. After the airline canceled the flights, British Airways removed the refund option from their website and replaced it with a voucher for future credit. I believe this was a bad business policy, removing the option for the traveler to request a refund you are entitled to, especially since the refund amount was taxes only and not a paid ticket. For the first leg of my trip, I requested a voucher, and five business days later, I received a confirmation email. The email was ambiguous; it didn’t state if the voucher was for the taxes and the Avios or just the taxes. It took me a month to get an answer from BA and confirm it includes both credits for my fees and Avios points. I can already see a painful call in the future, trying to use it for another reservation.
My return ticket took longer to be processed. BA’s responses took up to five business days, and most of the time, they would ask me for information I had already provided in the past. I would have to resubmit it and wait for another five business days. Eventually, more than a month after my first contact with British Airways, an agent processed my refund, 4400 Avios back to my account, and $90.60 back to my credit card.
Lima-Panama 4/9/20-4/12/20
- Status: Resolved
- Carrier: Avianca
- Ticket type: Award ticket using Avianca Lifemiles
- Amount: $124.24 + 37,430 Lifemiles
- Difficulty: High
- Outcome: Miles redeposited + taxes refunded minus booking fee ($25) (pending)
- First contact attempt: 3/23/20
- Resolution date: Pending
- Points of contact: 5
DFW-Lima One Way 5/21
- Status: Resolved
- Carrier: Avianca
- Ticket type: Award ticket using Avianca Lifemiles
- Amount: $15.60 + 15,000 Lifemiles
- Difficulty: High
- Outcome: Miles redeposited + taxes refunded (pending)
- First contact attempt: 3/09/20
- Resolution date: 4/01/20
- Points of contact: 5
I had two separate trips with Avianca that were difficult to resolve. The number of steps required to get a resolution was redundant. Here is an overview of my experience: First, I had to call to request a refund for my canceled flights. Avianca would acknowledge my request, and then I was directed to email Avianca’s support team to confirm I was entitled to a refund and that I didn’t owe Avianca more money for the canceled flight. Their support team replied, offering me rebooking my flights free of charge until November 21st of this year. Not very useful and back to the beginning of the process.
I had to contact Avianca’s call center again, and this time asked for their support team. Eventually, someone was able to process my request and told me to expect my taxes refunded in the next 30 to 90 days and my miles in seven business days or to call back for an update. As of today, my account reflects the refunded miles, and I’m waiting on my fees. I did notice that my refund would be $25 less than what I originally paid, so Avianca is withholding their booking fee from refunds.
My Overall Experience
I was frustrated with so much back and forth. I understand we are going through unprecedented difficulties, however, airlines should empower their agents to solve issues during the first or second point of contact, dragging a resolution wastes resources from the airline and time for the passenger. Finally, dealing with award flights took much longer than regular paid tickets, and in many instances, agents were not sure how to handle them. It’s essential to be transparent and communicate with all affected passengers. I believe that with policies focusing on the consumer, airlines will be able to grow loyalty with passengers and build enduring relationships that will last past this pandemic. For me, next time I book a flight, I’ll consider if an airline took five minutes or five weeks to solve my problem.
Patience, and good luck!