Aer Lingus promised a full refund after threatened strike. Where is it?

"Aer Lingus owes you the full refund it promised. Period. Under EU Regulation 261, passengers are entitled to a full refund if their flight is canceled because of a strike. Airlines can't impose arbitrary refund caps based on fare class in that situation. Aer Lingus's 85 percent policy appears to violate EU 261. Worse, the airline ignored your documented requests for months, and that's a blatant violation of consumer trust."

"Maybe Aer Lingus got confused when refunding your ticket. It thought you had requested a refund of the ticket for reasons other than the strike, and the rules for your business-class tickets only entitled you to an 85 percent refund. You did everything right: You saved correspondence, pursued multiple channels, and contacted executives. But when companies dig in, persistence alone isn't enough."

A traveler paid $7,155 for a business-class Aer Lingus ticket and, after a pilot strike, selected a promised full refund but received only $6,096. Aer Lingus withheld $1,058, citing an 85 percent refund policy for business fares. EU Regulation 261 requires full refunds when flights are canceled due to strikes and does not permit fare-class refund caps in such cases. The airline failed to respond to documented claims, calls, and a letter to the CEO. Filing complaints with regulators like the U.S. Department of Transportation or the Irish Aviation Authority or involving an advocate can prompt enforcement and a full refund.

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