Which? has called on the government to give the CAA stronger enforcement powers against airlines failing to swiftly refund passengers for disrupted flights, due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Editor of Which? Travel, Rory Boland, said: “Time after time, Which? has exposed airlines breaking the law on refunds for cancelled flights due to the pandemic and treating their passengers unfairly, and we’re concerned that they now feel empowered to do as they please without fear of punishment.
“Passengers must be able to rely on a regulator that has effective powers to protect their rights – especially at a time of unprecedented turmoil.
“The government needs to step up and ensure the CAA has the tools it needs to hold airlines to account, or risk consumer trust in the travel industry being damaged beyond repair.”
Following a report into airline refunds released on 30 July, the CAA said despite commitments from airlines to speed up the issuing of refunds it “will not hesitate to take further action against any airlines where necessary”.
Chief executive Richard Moriarty said: “There is still work to do. We have required commitments from airlines as they continue the job of paying customer refunds.
“Should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made, we will not hesitate to take any further action where required.”
The Consumer Advice Association said it had seen evidence of a number of carriers “reneging on promises” made to improve their refunds process.
