There’s nothing more devastating than having to cancel your travel plans without any warning. But, for one family, this nightmare became a reality when a major airline reportedly cancelled their tickets ‘by mistake’, leaving them more than $23,000 out of pocket.

New Zealander Jessica Roberts said she had booked seven tickets from Christchurch to London for her family to attend a relative’s wedding in September, costing a total $19,139. This included seat reservations.

Just over three months later, she said she cancelled one of the children’s tickets via the airline’s customer service chatbot. Having recently switched banks, Roberts provided new bank account details to the chatbot to receive a refund of $2,414.50.

The incident left the Roberts family a staggering $23,000 in debt. Image: Freepik

Just three days before they were meant to leave, Roberts noticed their reservation was gone. Little did she know, Etihad had mistakenly cancelled all of their tickets.

'So what had happened was the airline cancelled the six tickets, by mistake,' she said. 'We spent the next two days frantically trying to work out what had happened, but they wouldn't tell us anything.'

Roberts said that with two of their children at the wedding party, she and her partner took out a loan to pay for new flights with another airline—spending an extra $217 on visas. They now face paying hundreds of dollars in interest on the loan.

The family sent a letter to Etihad outlining the costs they’ve incurred as a result of the cancelled tickets.

'I cannot express the absolute devastating nature this had on our holiday,' Roberts wrote.

'We checked our bank account every day to see if the funds had been returned and had to cancel several plans as we couldn’t afford those commitments if the refund didn’t come through with loan payments to make.'

Roberts said she had phoned the airline at least 30 times and lodged two formal complaints, but months since finding out the cancellation of the tickets, she still had not heard anything back.

However, after Stuff Travel contacted Etihad about the issue, the airline called Roberts to say it was processing the refund–which could take another 45 days.

Etihad Airways took months before receiving Roberts’ complaint but it would take another 45 days to process the refund. Image: Freepik

The unwelcome month-and-a-half extension is something Roberts said is ‘incredibly frustrating’.

‘We have six children in the family, so are now under pressure to find funds for Christmas, and the school holidays,’ she said.

‘At this stage, it’s a real concern that we might not get this money back at all.’

This story serves as an important reminder to stay vigilant when it comes to booking flights. If you feel something is wrong, follow up with the airline wherever possible. Keep copies of all forms of communication, too. It also pays to look for Consumer Protection policies when you’re having trouble with your airlines.

Key Takeaways

• A New Zealand woman has reported that Etihad mistakenly cancelled her family's flights to the UK, leaving them over $23,000 out of pocket.
• Jessica Roberts said she had to take out a loan and rebook with another airline without getting a refund while also accumulating hundreds of dollars in loan interest.
• She says she has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Etihad and lodge formal complaints.
• Etihad has told Ms Roberts that her refund is being processed, but it may take another 45 days to come through.

If you’ve had an experience like this, or have any tips to share to avoid such a nightmare, then let us know in the comments below!

 

[Petra]

Wow, wealthy people ...... and Etihad is very expensive.

 

[Maurice_McGahey]

There’s nothing more devastating than having to cancel your travel plans without any warning. But, for one family, this nightmare became a reality when a major airline reportedly cancelled their tickets ‘by mistake’, leaving them more than $23,000 out of pocket.

New Zealander Jessica Roberts said she had booked seven tickets from Christchurch to London for her family to attend a relative’s wedding in September, costing a total $19,139. This included seat reservations.

Just over three months later, she said she cancelled one of the children’s tickets via the airline’s customer service chatbot. Having recently switched banks, Roberts provided new bank account details to the chatbot to receive a refund of $2,414.50.

View attachment 35586

The incident left the Roberts family a staggering $23,000 in debt. Image: Freepik

Just three days before they were meant to leave, Roberts noticed their reservation was gone. Little did she know, Etihad had mistakenly cancelled all of their tickets.

'So what had happened was the airline cancelled the six tickets, by mistake,' she said. 'We spent the next two days frantically trying to work out what had happened, but they wouldn't tell us anything.'

Roberts said that with two of their children at the wedding party, she and her partner took out a loan to pay for new flights with another airline—spending an extra $217 on visas. They now face paying hundreds of dollars in interest on the loan.

The family sent a letter to Etihad outlining the costs they’ve incurred as a result of the cancelled tickets.

'I cannot express the absolute devastating nature this had on our holiday,' Roberts wrote.

'We checked our bank account every day to see if the funds had been returned and had to cancel several plans as we couldn’t afford those commitments if the refund didn’t come through with loan payments to make.'

Roberts said she had phoned the airline at least 30 times and lodged two formal complaints, but months since finding out the cancellation of the tickets, she still had not heard anything back.

However, after Stuff Travel contacted Etihad about the issue, the airline called Roberts to say it was processing the refund–which could take another 45 days.

View attachment 35587

Etihad Airways took months before receiving Roberts’ complaint but it would take another 45 days to process the refund. Image: Freepik

The unwelcome month-and-a-half extension is something Roberts said is ‘incredibly frustrating’.

‘We have six children in the family, so are now under pressure to find funds for Christmas, and the school holidays,’ she said.

‘At this stage, it’s a real concern that we might not get this money back at all.’

This story serves as an important reminder to stay vigilant when it comes to booking flights. If you feel something is wrong, follow up with the airline wherever possible. Keep copies of all forms of communication, too. It also pays to look for Consumer Protection policies when you’re having trouble with your airlines.

Key Takeaways

• A New Zealand woman has reported that Etihad mistakenly cancelled her family's flights to the UK, leaving them over $23,000 out of pocket.
• Jessica Roberts said she had to take out a loan and rebook with another airline without getting a refund while also accumulating hundreds of dollars in loan interest.
• She says she has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Etihad and lodge formal complaints.
• Etihad has told Ms Roberts that her refund is being processed, but it may take another 45 days to come through.

If you’ve had an experience like this, or have any tips to share to avoid such a nightmare, then let us know in the comments below!

Airlines, including QANTAS are now engaging in fraudulent practices. It seems that they believe that they have the blessings of current governments, "Profit at any cost." My guess is that our governments don't fear us enough. Of course national police forces and Attorneys-General DO have the power to request extradition of company directors to face trial.

 

[magpie1]

I think that has just put me off from even thinking about flying anywhere....CRASH LANDING.