Denmark Draws Notice to Airlines After Delay in Refunding Unused Flight Tickets
The Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, Trafikstyrelsen, has announced that the airlines have received a warning for not meeting the repayment deadline to passengers who have been unable to use their flight tickets, without their fault.
Through a statement issued on December 20, Trafikstyrelsen emphasized that during the period of December 2020 and January 2021, the Swedish Transport Agency reported 11 airlines to the authorities for non-compliance with the agency’s repayment order dated October 13, 2020, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“The order stated that the airlines had to comply with the passenger rights regulation’s deadline of seven days concerning refunding the passengers’ unused flight tickets. The intention was that the airlines could be punished, which would also have a deterrent effect,” the statement reads.
In addition, the Prosecuting Authority, assessing the circumstances and considering the situation resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic, has agreed to drop the charges against Aegean Airlines, Air France, Brussels Airlines, EasyJet, KLM, Ryanair, SAS, TAP, Thai Airways and Vueling.
As a result of the dismissal of the charges, the Prosecutor now considers the airlines guilty, though the case will not be decided in court. The airlines have been warned that if they break the law again, they can expect to be punished.
In this regard, for the Danish Transport Agency, the order and the police report have had a serious effect because the passengers in the affected cases have subsequently received the refund they were entitled to receive.
As the Head of Office at the Swedish Transport Agency, Line Elikofer, explains, airlines have initiated measures that ensure a faster refund of unused flight tickets, including automating their refund processes and hiring more employees.
According to him, the Prosecutor’s warning will positively affect the continuation of the processes of dealing with airline cases, which helps protect consumers.
Moreover, the Public Prosecution has not yet finished processing the police report of the Danish Transport Agency against the Norwegian airline.
A week ago, the Swedish Transport Agency processed the issues related to the SAS pilots’ strike in 2019 that have been postponed after the decision of the Copenhagen City Court in September of this year.
Trafikstyrelsen also reported that in 2019 several cases had been postponed by the Danish Transport Agency to an indefinite date, following the failure of SAS to make compensation in connection with the pilots’ strike in the spring of the same year. It also added that the proceedings of these cases have already resumed.
