Last summer I booked flights to New York for a family of four with Aer Lingus for a holiday in April 2022.
After receiving the initial booking confirmation in July, I heard from Aer Lingus twice, in August 2021 and February 2022, to inform me of schedule changes.
On 6 April 2022, I visited the Aer Lingus website to check in online and discovered the booking had been cancelled in February because the balance had not been paid.
This was a shock. I had not received a reminder. My complaint and request for the return of the £530 deposit, owing to a failure of communication, has been rejected.
Do I have any hope of retrieving the deposit from Aer Lingus?
In 30 years of booking holidays, I have never missed paying a balance. However, this is the first time I have not received a reminder.
DF, Hebden Bridge
Well, the good news is that there is hope, as after we contacted it Aer Lingus relented and agreed to give you your money back.
On its website it says that after 24 hours, the deposit paid on a booking is non-refundable. It also says it will send a “just in case” reminder email when the balance is due, which in this instance it did not do.
The airline says: “Aer Lingus offers customers travelling to or from North America the option to pay just 50% of their fare at the time of booking and pay the remaining balance 60 days before their travel date. In this case the balance was not paid within the communicated deadline, which resulted in the booking being cancelled.”
However, it adds: “We appreciate on this occasion the customer did not receive a reminder email advising her to pay the balance, and as a gesture of goodwill we have issued a refund for the deposit paid. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
The Consumer Champions inbox is bulging with travel complaints linked to the turmoil caused by the Covid pandemic. You missed out on your holiday but in the current climate getting your money back is a good result and you are pleased.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions
