How to get a refund from Ryanair, Easyjet, Tui for cancelled flights and holidays
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THOUSANDS of holidaymakers have had Christmas plans cancelled after a wave of new travel bans have caused travel chaos.
Countries including France, Germany and Ireland have all banned commercial travel from the UK over fears a new strain of coronavirus could spread.
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A travel ban has also been slapped on Brits living in London and the south east of England after being dramatically placed under new Tier 4 coronavirus restrictions on Sunday.
The strict regulations have been rushed through after Boris Johnson revealed the mutant strain of the virus is believed to be 70% more contagious.
The restrictions have left many scrambling for refunds for tickets that can no longer be used over the Christmas period.
The Government has already promised to refund passengers for rail and bus tickets that can't be used between the previous five-day Christmas bubble break.
Countries that have banned or are considering banning travel from UK
THESE are the current countries with travel bans on the UK, please note that some of the shorter bans could be extended.
France
France put in place a 48-hour ban on travel from Britain at midnight on December 20.
Germany
Flights between Britain and Germany are banned until January 6.
Italy
All flights between the UK and Italy were suspended from December 20. Anyone entering the country from elsewhere who has been in the UK over the last 14 days will also be barred from entering.
India
Flights from the UK are banned from midnight on December 22 until December 31.
Spain
Spain will be restricting passenger travel on inbound flights from the UK from December 22, with the exception of Spanish nationals and those legally resident in Spain. This includes flights from the UK to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands.
Denmark
All flights from the UK are banned until 9am on December 23.
Ireland
Flights from Britain are banned until at least midnight on December 23.
Canada
Flights from the UK are banned until at least midnight on December 23.
Netherlands
Flights from the UK are banned until January 1.
Belgium
Plane and Eurostar travel are banned until midnight on December 21 at the earliest.
Austria
Flight ban to be imposed on flights from the UK from midnight, December 22.
Sweden
Sweden have announced they will impose restrictions on travel from the UK, but are yet to announce a specific date and time.
Finland
Finland will be restricting travel from the UK from 21 December until January 4.
Switzerland
Switzerland have announced they will be suspending air travel to and from the UK, but are yet to announce a specific date and time.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria will be restricting air travel between Bulgaria and the UK until January 31.
Romania
Romania will be banning flights to and from the UK from 7pm on December 21 for 14 days.
Estonia
Estonia has banned flights to and from the UK until January 1.
Latvia
Latvia has banned flights to and from the UK until January 1.
Lithuania
Lithuania has restricted travel from the UK until 11.59pm on December 31.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg banned all flights between the UK and Luxembourg from midnight on December 20 for an initial 24 hour period and there has not been a new update as yet.
Poland
Flights between Poland and the UK are currently suspended, with no set end date as yet.
Portugal
Portugal has restricted passenger travel to and from the UK, regardless of nationality, with the exception of Portuguese citizens and those legally resident from 20 December, with no set end date as yet.
Croatia
Croatia restricted travel for air passengers from the UK for 48 hours from 11pm on December 20, and there is a chance that could be extended.
Turkey
Turkey have announced they will be suspending air travel to and from the UK, but are yet to announce a specific date and time.
Kuwait
From December 22, travellers will not be allowed to enter Kuwait if they have been in the UK during the preceding 14 days.
Hong Kong
From December 22, travellers who had visited the UK for more than two hours within the past 14 days will be denied entry to Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, holidays are technically allowed for people living in tiers 1, 2 and 3.
But what does it mean for plan tickets and package holidays? Here, we take you through your travel rights and how to get your money back:
Ryanair
Ryanair says it will contact customers by text or email if their flight has been cancelled between December 20 and 24 and they will be entitled to a full refund.
Unfortunately, the airline doesn't have to payout if the flight is still able to go ahead, even if you live in an area that now has a travel ban.
But it is offering customers who are now in lockdown and can no longer travel the chance to switch to a new flight at a later date.
It has waived the usual switching fee as long as you rebook it before March 15 2021.
Not sure what to do? You can contact Ryanair's customer service team online or over the phone on 01279358395.
Easyjet
Easyjet is offering customers full refunds if their flight has been cancelled due to the new restrictions.
The airline has also said it will give passengers their money back if it's now illegal to take the flight, as long as it was booked before the new regulations were put in place.
It has also removed the change fee for flight transfers made online via the Manage My Bookings section but if the trip is more expensive you'll have to pay the difference.
You can also choose to have the amount refunded as a voucher which can be used to book a new trip within the next 12months.
The airline tweeted: "We strongly recommend customers self-serve online, due to the volume of calls currently."
You can contact Easyjet's customer care team via the .
Tui and First Choice
Tui, which also owns First Choice, will refund customers who are affected by the Tier 4 restrictions or offer them the opportunity to rebook their holiday for free.
When the price of a rebooked trip is more expensive, customers have to cover the price difference.
If your package holiday has been cancelled you will be entitled to a full refund as Tui trips is protected by the Atol scheme.
You can call Tui on 0203 451 2688 to discuss your booking, but keep in mind its customer service centres are likely to be extremely busy.
Customers can find alternative ways of .
Lastminute.com
Lastminute.com is urging customers who have booked flights through them to check with the airline directly to find out if it still going ahead.
Travel: What are your rights to a refund?
MILLIONS of Brits have had holiday plans cancelled.
Firstly, speak to your airline or holiday firm about a refund or rearranging your plans.
You are entitled to a cash refund if they've cancelled your holiday but many have large delays or may offer vouchers instead.
If the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all but essential travel to countries or regions, you may also be covered for cancellations by your travel insurance if the holiday provider or airline is not helping you.
Keep in mind the travel insurance must have been taken out before the FCO advice changed, otherwise you won't be covered.
If you don't have travel insurance, you may be able to claim your money back through your credit or debit card provider.
Credit card payments between £100 and £30,000 are covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Rights Act.
To start a claim, you need to contact your credit card provider directly - has a free tool that can help you do this.
Debit card claims or credit card claims of under £100 may be covered under similar Chargeback guarantees.
The travel agent says that it is down to the airline to discuss your options with you for cancelled flights, such as a refund, voucher or option to rebook.
It says the same rules apply for those who have booked accommodation only.
Packageholiday customers due to depart in the coming days will need to cancel their booking on the My Account section on the website.
Normally, this would waive your rights to a refund but Lastminute.com says that if you don't submit a cancellation request it will not automatically cancel your booking.
In this instance, it will be process by the customer care team who will issue refunds accordingly.
Remember, you should only cancel if the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has advised against travel.
If the government hasn't issued a travel ban that affects your holiday then you'll be subject to the normal terms and conditions of your booking if you request to cancel it.
British Airways
British Airways angered customers over the weekend after it said it won't be refunding customers who are affected by the latest round of restrictions.
Instead, it is offering passengers the chance to choose between changing their flights for a later date or request a voucher.
Customer will only get a refund if flights are cancelled by the airline.
A British Airways spokesperson said: “Customers who are unable to travel, or choose not to, can continue to change their flights or request a voucher for future use as part of our Book with Confidence policy.
“As always, if a customer's flight is cancelled they are entitled to a full refund or a voucher, and we always contact any customers whose flights may be affected to discuss their options.”
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin told The Sun that if a customer's flight is cancelled they will be contacted by a member of the team and offered a full refund.
Alternatively, they can choose to rebook before December 31 2022, with a name change and two date change fees waived
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "We understand the difficulties that Covid-19 and Tier 4 restrictions pose to some of our customers.
"Where a customer is unable to travel for any reason, we offer as much choice and flexibility as possible to help them change or amend their plans, with a name change and two date change fees waived for a new travel date up until 31 December 2022."
OnTheBeach
On its website, OnTheBeach says it is contacting customers whose holidays have been cancelled by the latest round of travel restrictions imposed by other nations against travellers from the UK.
The travel firm says it will be contacting all customers affected by the latest Tier 4 travel bans.
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All flights with Jet2 booked through the for, due to depart from Stanstead airport, have been cancelled up until January 3.
TUI flights departing from Luton Airports up until December 30 have also been cancelled.
OnTheBeach is currently processing the refunds for cancelled flights.
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