Passengers Cheer as Ryanair Expects to clear “over 90%” of Cash Refund Requests by the end of July

By Tony Winterburn • Published: 27 Jul 2020 • 12:37

Rynair is ploughing through the back-log of refunds- and customers love it! image: Stock Photo

Ryanair has won customer approval after it announced that more than 90 per cent of refunds will be cleared by the end of July.

THE airline’s customer service teams returned to the office in June and are working tirelessly through an “unprecedented volume” of customer emails and other communications related to flight changes and Covid-19 cancellations. They are in the process of clearing a record backlog of refunds caused by almost four months of EU government-imposed flight cancellations.

“This process has been delayed by unauthorised screen scrapers providing falsified customer details at the time of booking,” the carrier added.

The three months to June 30 were “the most challenging” in the Irish airline group’s 35-year history after bookings came to an “abrupt standstill” in the initial weeks of the pandemic.

And Ryanair Holdings warned: “It is impossible to predict how long the Covid-19 pandemic will persist, and a second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn, when the annual flu season commences, is our biggest fear right now.

“Hopefully EU governments, by implementing effective track and tracing systems, and EU citizens by complying with recommended face masks, rigorous hand hygiene and other measures, will avoid the need for further lockdowns or restrictions on intra-EU flights.

While many other airlines are cutting capacity the carrier added: “This will create opportunities for Ryanair to grow its network, and expand its fleet, to take advantage of lower airport and aircraft cost opportunities that will inevitably rise.”

The effects of Brexit on the Airline Industry

Ryanair also warned that the challenge of Brexit, and in particular a no-deal Brexit, “remains high.” The cut-price carrier added: “We hope, before the end of the transition period in December, that the UK and Europe will agree on a trade deal for air travel which will allow the free movement of people and the deregulated airline market between the UK and Ireland to continue.