TORONTO — Travel company Transat AT Inc. says reimbursement for customers who have paid for flights that were scheduled to leave on or after Feb. 1, 2020 will begin immediately, following the announcement of a $700-million loan from the federal government.
Nearly half of the funding will be used to provide reimbursements to travellers, the airline said.
Transat says refund eligibility criteria is available online at airtransat.com/refunds.
Here's a look at how to request refunds.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR A REFUND?
To qualify for a refund, passengers must already have a travel credit that hasn't been transferred.
The departure must have been scheduled for February 1, 2020 or later and booked before April 29, 2021.
In other caveats, the traveler cannot have submitted a claim to an insurance company, be subject to an active chargeback claim or already have been refunded by a credit card provider.
HOW CAN REFUNDS BE REQUESTED?
Refund requests can be submitted using Transat's online form. The form is available at https://www.airtransat.com/en-CA/refunds.
HOW SOON WILL REFUNDS BE RECEIVED?
Transat says processing times may take up to three months due to the high volume of requests. It says requests will be treated in the order in which they are received.
WHEN IS THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT REQUESTS?
Refund requests must be submitted using Transat's online form by August 26, 2021. Transat says customers who don’t submit their request by this time will not get a refund. It says their travel credit will remain on file and will be available when making a new booking.
WHAT IF I BOOKED WITH A TRAVEL AGENCY OR THIRD PARTY?
Transat says if you originally booked with a travel agency or third party, contact them so they can submit a request on your behalf. If you can’t reach your travel agency or they’re closed, fill out a refund analysis form and submit it by August 26, 2021.
WHAT IF I BOOKED AFTER APRIL 29?
The current refund policy applies to flights and packages booked by April 29, 2021. Going forward, affected customers would be eligible for a refund if Transat makes changes to a flight.
WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO DON'T WANT A REFUND?
Transat says if you want to keep your travel credit, no action is required. The credit will remain on your file with the same conditions and will be available when making a new booking. You cannot request a partial refund because travel credit cannot be split up.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2021.
Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)
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