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Air France owes Gilda Souza $23,577 after the airline canceled her flights during the pandemic. Souza then mistakenly allowed her ticket credit to expire. Can she get a refund?

Q: In late 2018, I booked three flights on Air France for a trip in 2019 through American Express. I had to cancel the flights and received a one-year ticket credit. I rebooked a flight to Europe for 2020 through KLM, an Air France partner. But in June 2020, at the height of the pandemic, KLM canceled the flight.

Air France's website clearly states that if tickets were purchased through a travel agent, passengers should contact their travel agency. Amex submitted refund claims with Air France on our behalf. At the time, I thought our vouchers would be extended beyond the original 12-month validity date, given the unprecedented COVID restrictions.

They weren't. Air France denied our claim because the tickets were purchased through Amex, and it said we needed to contact Amex for a refund. Now Air France says that our ticket credits have expired, and Amex says it can't do anything because it must follow Air France's rules. Can you help me get my money back? -- Gilda Souza, San Leandro, California

A: This is it! Our last COVID refund case! Oh, who am I kidding? I keep saying that, and my dear readers keep proving me wrong. It turns out there's still unfinished business from the pandemic. So, let's get to it:

This case looks complicated, but it really isn't. Amex is your travel agent, and it should have held your hand the entire way through this ordeal. Air France and KLM should have worked directly with your travel advisor to figure out a way to either use your ticket credit or give you a refund.

You canceled your tickets and accepted a ticket credit. I don't have the terms of your ticket, but if you're paying $23,577, chances are, your fare was refundable. I would have just taken the refund. In fact, when an airline offers you a refund or credit, always take the refund.

Technically, you could have asked for a refund the second time your travel plans changed because KLM canceled your flight. Most airlines were offering ticket credits that lasted more than a year, so you were correct to assume that the airline would have given you more time to use your voucher. But you should have made sure.

I reviewed the paper trail between you, your travel advisor, and the airlines. It looks like you contacted them, waited, then moved on to something else before coming back to the case. I've found the best approach is to keep at it. Be persistent, and don't let an airline just pocket your money. Also, if you wait too long, you might end up timing out, since many airlines delete their older flight records. A 2019 booking is really pushing it.

A brief, polite email to a manager at American Express Travel or Air France might have fixed this. I publish both on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. I recommended that you talk to your travel advisor about the ticket refund and get the name of a manager.

You did, and Amex reviewed its records. According to the agency, it had repeatedly tried to negotiate a credit extension with Air France, to no avail. The manager recommended filing a complaint with the United States Department of Transportation. You did, and Air France apologized to you and issued new flight vouchers for the full value of the tickets that are valid for one year.

"We are very pleased with the outcome and immediately booked flights to Portugal using the new vouchers," you told me. Bon voyage!

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2024 Christopher Elliott

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