The list of online travel agencies committing to the seven-day limit for relaying cancellation payments from airlines to consumers has added two big names.
Expedia and Lastminute.com have pledged to overhaul how they handle flight cancellations after talks with EU consumer watchdogs. The travel firms will now refund customers within 14 days if airlines scrap flights. The move marks a win for regulators seeking to end pandemic-era reimbursement chaos.
“In the midst of the summer holiday season, Expedia and Lastminute.com are sending a clear signal that they take consumers’ rights seriously, particularly when consumers are affected by flight cancellations,” Commissioner Michael McGrath said victoriously.
A win for customers
Under the deal, both platforms must pass on refunds from airlines to customers within seven days of receiving them, capping total wait times at two weeks. They have also vowed to clear backlogs and make contact details easily accessible on their websites. Customers will get clearer information on statutory rerouting and refund rights, plus warnings if cancelling one leg of a trip affects payments for others.
Lastminute.com said it would phase in most changes by July 2025, meeting full compliance by September. Expencia claims its practices already align with the commitments. The agreement – brokered by the EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network and led by Sweden’s consumer agency – mirrors terms secured in 2023 from Edreams ODIGEO, Etraveli and Kiwi.com. Five major agencies now adhere to the 14-day rule.
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Sticks and carrots
The Commission welcomed the development. “Flight cancellations can be extremely disruptive to travellers. It is simply a question of basic fairness for passengers to receive a refund without delay,” Commission VP Henna Virkkunen said. “I am pleased that the list of online travel agencies signing up to this basic commitment is growing. More must join fast to ensure fair services and a level-playing field in the air travel industry,” she insisted.
The CPC will monitor compliance and push other firms to follow. Lastminute.com had already adopted the measures in Sweden after a national enforcement action; its new pledge covers the entire European Economic Area. Expedia joined voluntarily, avoiding regulatory orders.
I am pleased that the list of online travel agencies signing up to this basic commitment is growing. – Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
EU law requires airlines to refund cancelled flights within seven days – but when you buy tickets via third-party platforms, delays often balloon. The 14-day cap for intermediaries aims to close this gap. “This step helps create a fair and level playing field,” said the regulators.
The Covid legacy
The push stems from covid-era grievances. A 2022 CPC probe – prompted by pandemic backlog complaints and 2021 airline talks – found agencies routinely dragged out repayments. New EU rules, orignally proposed in November 2023, is to codify the 14-day standard for intermediaries, alongside broader passenger-rights reforms.
“This is a positive step for consumers, who will benefit from faster and more predictable reimbursements, even before the new rules are formally adopted by the co-legislators,” Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas contributed to the festive mood. For now, the CPC’s carrot-and-stick approach prevails: coax firms to self-reform, but ready enforcement for laggards. With summer travel looming, regulators hope fewer tourists will face the refund limbo that marred the pandemic’s peak.
