Passengers reported that Arab and international airlines and electronic reservation sites refused to return the value of their tickets, after their travel was canceled due to the repercussions of the newly created Corona virus.


They told «Emirates Today» that these companies insisted on keeping the ticket values ​​and not refunding them, while obliging travelers to book during a year, using the value of the ticket while paying the difference in price when booking the new or obtaining a ticket for the value of the tickets, despite the travelers ’refusal For both options.


Officials with travel and tourism offices emphasized that this situation is illegal and companies are not entitled to refuse to return ticket values, especially as the crisis is global, and that non-travel is for reasons beyond the control of travelers, as most airports have closed their doors to travelers.
They attributed the companies position to the financial conditions of the airlines, which do not have sufficient liquidity, as the liquidity of some companies is few enough for only 3 months due to the current conditions.


5 tickets
and details, Ashraf Ammar said that he booked 5 tickets for him and his family to spend a vacation in his homeland in late March, on an Arab airline company, through one of the websites, but he was unable to travel due to the conditions of Corona’s spreading “Coffed 19” globally and airport closures Including the country's airports, which he would have spent on vacation,


He added that he demanded the redemption of the value of the tickets without interest, as the airline informed him that it had nothing to do with returning the value of the reservation and that he should try to recover the value of the ticket from the site from which he booked, while the site insisted on not returning the value of the reservation (about 14 thousand dirhams), And give him the option to travel to any destination he chooses within a year, while paying the difference in the reservation price.

Closed airports,
Ali Mesbah indicated that he had booked tickets for his family to travel to an Arab country next May, and when he found that most airports were still closed, he requested a refund of the price of tickets, so the Arab Airlines informed him that this option is not on the table, and that he has two options. : Change the ticket to another date and pay the difference, and the second: Take a purchase card that is valid for a year. Mesbah demanded that his money be returned, especially since it is a large sum, which he desperately needs in the current circumstances.

Hoda Mohamed Khaled confirmed that she and her family could not travel to the European destination that she had booked on one of the international airlines, to spend a vacation this April, due to the current circumstances and the closure of most airports, explaining that the company refused to return the ticket values, and informed her that she would give her a value voucher Reservation so that you can travel using it to any destination during a year, with the difference in the value of the ticket, confirming its rejection of this option, especially as it obliges it to travel with the same company.

Booking response for
his part, CEO Nirwana said travel, Alaa Al - Ali, said that « a number of airlines refuse to refund money bookings although this procedure is illegal, since it is not the right of companies refused to answer the ticket values, especially as the global crisis, and most of If not all the major airports are closed to travelers. ”

Al-Ali pointed out that «travelers suffered in many countries of the world, and not only the UAE, from this situation», explaining that «the financial conditions of airlines are harsh and do not have sufficient liquidity, as the liquidity that exists with some companies is few and sufficient for a period of 3 months due to the current conditions ».

He noted that airlines are trying to persuade travelers to accept not to return the reservation values ​​for allowing travelers to benefit from the price of the ticket within a period of up to two years, not one year, as usually happens as a incentive measure.

He pointed out that travel and tourism agencies have already negotiated with airline companies and were able to return the reservation funds to travelers, in case the reservation was through these agencies, while some airline companies refunded the value of tickets in cases of reservations through them or through their websites and other companies declined, and there are many Of complaints related to reservations through websites.

Airlines

For his part, Salah Al-Kaabi, CEO of “Bavaria Holidays”, said that “several airlines and electronic reservation sites have refused during the past period to allow travelers to recover their money on the basis that it be used in future reservations.” He added that this position is illegal and it is right The traveler recovers the reservation funds completely, especially in such emergency circumstances that imposed on the traveler certain conditions, noting that there are difficulties in dealing with the reservation sites, especially the global sites, as they are not licensed in the Emirates.


And two officials at two airlines agreed that companies should make all options available to travelers because the issue is not related to the specific circumstances of the traveler alone, but rather to the conditions of a global outbreak of the Corona epidemic, which led to travel bans and airport closures in most countries of the world.
The two officials, apart from not mentioning their name, stated that the financial conditions of the various airlines in the world are very difficult in light of the cessation of operations and the continuation of some high costs, especially those related to labor and others.
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Send complaints
The Director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, Dr. Hashem Al-Nuaimi, has asked travelers who suffer from non-refunds of tickets to send complaints to the Ministry for research and to take appropriate legal measures regarding them.


He stressed that the websites in general are within the control of the Ministry, as many of the websites that committed violations and previously practices that contradict the rights of consumers were previously blocked in cooperation with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.