Getting a refund on your cancelled Lynx flight

Business
Published 24.02.2024
Getting a refund on your cancelled Lynx flight

Many passengers booked to fly on Lynx Air have been left scrambling after the low cost air provider introduced it was ceasing operations on Feb. 26.

The firm stated those that have been planning to board flights on Monday and onward should contact their bank card firm to acquire a refund.

“Please note: Lynx Air’s contact centre will not be available to assist with refunds,” it stated on its web site.

Seeking a full refund by way of your bank card supplier is usually a seamless course of, nonetheless “that really depends on what credit card you purchased your flight with,” stated Natasha Macmillan, director of on a regular basis banking for Ratehub.ca.

“The big thing is whether the card that you purchased the flight on is eligible for travel insurance.”

For those that don’t have journey insurance coverage, Macmillan stated she recommends reaching out to your bank card supplier’s customer support division to inquire about cancelling the cost.

“Sometimes in certain situations like that, the credit card provider might follow through,” she stated.

“In the past, we have seen with other fees, if there does seem to be kind of a business’s negligence to fulfil their end of the bargain, you can retroactively get that payment, that refund, back on your card.”

But one other method to take the ability out of the palms of the bank card firm is to pursue a statutory chargeback, stated Gabor Lukacs, president of the Air Passenger Rights advocacy group.

The guidelines for statutory chargebacks are set out by provinces, quite than particular person corporations.

“This means that if you have previously been unsuccessful navigating Visa, MasterCard or American Express internal chargeback processes, it does not matter,” states the Air Passenger Rights web site.

“Your legal rights under provincial statute remain unchanged, regardless of any previous discussion you may have had with your card issuer, and regardless of any card holder agreement.”

With statutory chargebacks, Lukacs stated there’s “no debate.”

“The steps are, broadly speaking, that you first give a notice of cancellation of the contract,” he stated.

“Then in step two, you give a notice of dispute to the credit card issuer. And then in step three, you claw back the money if they refuse to give you the money back.”

Macmillan stated the kind of documentation wanted when going by way of refund processes with a bank card firm are pretty easy. That normally features a receipt from the airline for proof of cost, together with the passenger’s date of beginning, title, cellphone quantity and handle.

“‘I’ve seen the process run pretty quickly,” she stated.

“When I’ve filed a claim, it’s within 48 (hours) to seven business days. I suspect with something like the Lynx situation in this circumstance, it will be quick as well, because it’s kind of widely known. There’s probably not that much due diligence that’s required.”