Q: My wife and I were scheduled to fly from Paris to Philadelphia. Aer Lingus canceled the flight due to “operational issues” and told me to request a refund. I paid $5,246 for the tickets, but the airline only refunded $4,502.
I’ve emailed repeatedly about the missing $744 and keep getting new case numbers with promises to “contact me soon.” It’s been weeks with no resolution. What can I do?
— James Jones, Naples, Fla.
A: When an airline cancels a flight for reasons within its control, passengers are entitled to a full refund under European consumer regulations. But Aer Lingus left you in a financial holding pattern.
EU Regulation 261/2004, the European consumer protection law, requires an airline to fully refund you within seven days if you paid by credit card. Aer Lingus’ partial refund and radio silence violate both its contractual obligations and EU consumer protections.
Here’s what should have happened: After canceling your flight, Aer Lingus needed to promptly refund the full $5,246 without you having to ask. Instead, it shortchanged you by $744 and ignored your follow-ups — a classic airline runaround.
Airlines often bank on travelers giving up, but EU rules don’t let them off the hook. When you pay with a credit card, a chargeback for the missing amount could pressure Aer Lingus to act (a step worth considering if this happens again).
I can’t believe it would do this to you. The tickets you purchased were pricey business-class fares. Aer Lingus should have bent over backward to help you, considering your value as a customer.
You did the right thing by documenting every interaction. Paper trails are critical. Still, when companies stonewall, escalating to executives is key. I’ve published contact details for Aer Lingus’ leadership team on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A polite but firm email to these decision-makers often breaks the logjam. It looks like you tried the contacts, but they ignored you.
I’ve reviewed the correspondence between you and Aer Lingus, which, frankly, I find frustrating. The airline offered you a full refund, which you accepted, and then it failed to follow through. Instead of a coherent answer to your repeated question, it just kept sending you new form responses with new case numbers.
If anything, your case is a reminder to always check your airline refund. Never assume that just because the airline offered you a refund that you will receive all of it — or any of it. Check your credit card statement to make sure you received everything.
So why did Aer Lingus short you by $744? Based on the emails it sent you, it looks like it might have broken out taxes into a separate charge. Aer Lingus might have also recalculated your refund based on currency fluctuations. It’s difficult to know for certain. I asked Aer Lingus about your refund, but it would not tell me why it withheld the $744.
What it would say — or rather do — is fix this for you. After I reached out to Aer Lingus on your behalf, it refunded the $744 it owed you.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.