Can anyone advise please? Money, voucher, flight issue…

[Iwantmymoneyback]

We booked flights to Orlando for last summer and obviously they were cancelled because of COVID. We were issued a voucher for the full amount with an expiry date of 31st December 2021.
I private messaged the airline on Twitter to say that due to still not being able to go this summer I would like a cash refund and received a response to say, it’s not possible to give me my money back! Is this right, can they do that?

What airline was it? US rules don't require a cash refund be offered. If they had all of the airlines would have gone bankrupt during covid.

Yes, they can.

It'll depend on who you booked with; and what country has jurisdiction over the purchase.

But as @MissConductUS says, if it's a US airline, they were never obligated to give cash refunds.

And if it was a UK airline, and you accepted a voucher, they've fulfilled their duty and don't have to issue a cash refund now. It's slightly more nuanced than that if you weren't offered the option of a refund, but most airlines did offer one, even if it was hidden on page 92 of the cancellation info and they pushed vouchers...

US rules may not require them to give a cash refund but if the tickets were sold in Europe then different rules may apply. I would continue chasing this down if I was you.

It was a return flight from UK to Orlando with Iberia airlines. I don’t remember having an option for cash instead, I was just sent an email saying my balance will be sent to me via a voucher.
What do I do now that we still can’t go this summer? Are they not obliged to at least extend the date for which the voucher is valid?

Lots of European airlines had to change their policy during last year- worth checking if Iberia was one of them. For example, I had a booking with Alitalia for Italy-UK that couldn't be used. When I initially spoke to them, they issued vouchers only, and the validity was for 12 months. Pressure from EU consumer organizaty made them change, and now, I still have the voucher, but if I don't use it within 12 months I can ask for a full refund. People who contacted them after me were offered the voucher or refund option straightaway.

If you are based in the UK and cannot travel to the destination due to travel restrictions, you are entitled to a refund - even if the flight operated. There may be a clause whereby you cannot cancel outside of a 30 day window, which is understandable, since the situation has always been fluid.
US Carriers - i.e. United, American and Delta are going to be more approachable in this regard, this also applies to 'vouchers' which were previously accepted but you may now want a refund.
If you accepted a voucher, it should have been valid for 2 years since most carriers had the foresight the pandemic was not going away in a few months. If your carrier has declined to offer you a refund where you previously accepted a voucher, here are a few tips :

1. Take to social media
2. Email their CEO
3. Airline ADR [ Details on the CAA.CO.UK ]
4. File a small court claim [ Your outlay starts at £35 - the majority of airlines are not going to court to defend a claim, you can also include the cost in your claim, but due diligence and save your initial queries before you reach this step ]
5. A collection agent such as Flightright. They will buy your liability and you are done. They will take a large chunk of your claim, but you get something back and you are done. They in turn approach the carrier for their settlement and if it is not settled within X number of days, they issue court proceedings ].
6. Finally, if you booked via a foreign carrier, i.e. Iberia, Alitalia, Lufthansa, file a complaint with their equivalent of the UK CAA. Consumer laws in Europe are stronger then the UK. The best approach is a compliant to the NEB [ ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/passengers/neb_en ]. For the US, the DOT.

Remember, the situation has been fluid from the outset because these are unprecedented times. What may have been a policy in June 2020 may have evolved and as policies have evolved, you should not be short changed.

One final point, separate tickets : I.e. BA London - Los Angeles, then United Los Angeles - San Francisco, unless your United flight was subject to a cancellation or schedule change [ usually greater than 120 mins ], you will not be entitled to a refund. Separate tickets = separate contracts, you are undercutting a through fare, it has other implications during the normal course of travel, but specifically related to this conversation surrounding COVID, the above applies. This will also be applicable if you purchased tickets on Easyjet to Zurich and a separate ticket on Turkish Airlines from Zurich - Istanbul. If the flight operated on Turkish Airlines and/or there are no travel restrictions between Switzerland/Turkey, regardless of your residence, you are treated as though you are based in Switzerland and travelling to Turkey.

Hope this helps.

Wow AntonioSWL that’s amazingly helpful. Thank you so much!