Written answers

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Consumer Rights

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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275. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will address the queries raised in correspondence from a person (details supplied) in relation to taking a holiday abroad in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16692/21]

Photo of Hildegarde NaughtonHildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Consumer rights for overseas travel are protected under EU law, which of course applies in Ireland. Air passenger rights are protected by Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, which covers the rights of airline passengers in instances of flight cancellations. It provides that where a flight is cancelled then the consumer must receive a refund within seven days. The EU Package Travel Directive provides a separate suite of consumer protections for people who make bookings through a licensed travel agent or tour operator. The customers of licensed travel agents and tour operators are entitled to refund within two weeks should they or their holiday provider cancel the booking.

While the legal position is one aspect, I have also sought clarification from both Aer Lingus and Ryanair on their current rebooking policies, particularly in the light of customers choosing not to travel. Aer Lingus has indicated that under their “Book with Confidence” policy - covering all flights scheduled to run until the end of 2021 including those who may have already re-booked for a future travel date – customers are able to change their travel date free of charge, as many times as they wish up to 2 hours before their flight. They also indicate that passengers may swap their booking for a voucher and that their vouchers are valid for 5 years.

Ryanair has stated that the expiry dates for vouchers that were issued last year have been extended to enable passengers to make bookings when travel is open again. In this vein, rebooking can also be made with no charge of flight fee for travel before 31 Oct 2021. Vouchers that were offered to customers whose flights were cancelled can be converted to cash at any time or can be redeemed for future bookings.

If any individuals are unclear about their rights, the Commission for Aviation Regulation has a dedicated web site for consumers www.flightrights.ie.

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