Ryanair commits to five-day turnaround for customer refunds
Ryanair has promised a five-day turnaround for refunds following criticism on the issue amid Covid-19 restrictions. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Ryanair has committed to refunding customers within five days as part of improvements to the airline’s customer service.
The airline has announced a range of improvements for its customer service, including commitments to refund customers to the original form of payment within five working days and confirmation and access to refunds through its app within 24 hours of the request.
Through the app, customers have also been promised to have “real-time status updates” on their refunds.
Ryanair’s Director of Marketing, Dara Brady said the improvements have been driven by customer panel input.
It comes following the impact of Covid-19 restrictions which saw many airline customers frustrated at the difficulties they experienced when attempting to secure a refund for their cancelled flights.
Ryanair was one of the airlines to face criticism on the issues with refunds and stated that they were processing an unprecedented number of claims.
Earlier this month, Britain ended a probe into Ryanair and British Airways over their refusal to refund customers amid restrictions.
However, the Competition and Markets Authority decided to close the investigation because the law isn’t clear enough about a right to a refund “in these unusual circumstances,” according to a statement.
The probe was launched to determine whether the airlines broke consumer laws by failing to offer customers their money back when Covid-19 rules made it illegal for them to fly.
The budget airline has also committed to an improved online chat, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section and new self-help videos and a ‘Day of Travel' element that will have live updates on airport, terminal, flight and gate information.
The app will also accommodate live videos and webcasts from Ryanair’s ops centre during major disruptions.
Director of Marketing, Dara Brady said the airline’s first-ever Customer Panel meeting in September was instrumental in driving the service improvements.
“We look forward to receiving further panel feedback at our second meeting in early 2022, to help us develop more ways to improve our customers experience while we lower airfares post-Covid.”
