Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that airline companies are providing refunds to (a) travel agencies and (b) tour operators within timeframes that are consistent with those that dictate when travel agencies and tour operators must legally provide refunds to consumers whose flights or holiday packages have been cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are currently reviewing the practices of travel agents and airlines in issuing refunds to customers affected by the travel restrictions during COVID-19. In February the CMA issued an update on enforcement action being taken with individual agencies.

The Civil Aviation Authority reviewed airlines’ compliance on refunds last summer and concluded that a number of airlines were failing to meet the process time for refunding their customers for cancelled flights. Latest data suggests that airlines are now paying the vast majority of refunds in a timely manner between 4 and 14 days.