Our Air France ticket credit expired during the pandemic. How do we get our $23,577 back?

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

In late 2018, I booked three flights on Air France through American Express for a trip in 2019. I had to cancel the flights and received a one-year ticket credit.

I rebooked a 2020 flight to Europe through KLM, an Air France partner. However, in June 2020, KLM canceled the flight at the height of the pandemic.

Air France's website states that passengers who purchase tickets through a travel agent should contact their travel agency. American Express submitted refund claims with Air France on our behalf.

At the time, given the unprecedented COVID restrictions, I thought our vouchers' validity date would be extended beyond the original 12-month period.

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 our ticket credits have expired. 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, Calif.

This is it! Our last COVID-19 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 isn't. American Express is your travel agent, and it should have held your hand 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. Always take the refund when an airline offers you a refund or a credit.

Technically, you could have requested a refund the second time your travel plans changed because KLM canceled your flight. Most airlines offered ticket credits that lasted more than a year, so you were correct in assuming the airline would have given you more time to use your ticket voucher. But it would help if you had made sure.

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

A brief, polite email to an American Express Travel or Air France manager might have fixed this. I publish both on my consumer advocacy site, elliott.org. I recommended you contact your travel advisor about the ticket refund and get the manager's name. You did, and American Express 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 U.S. Department of Transportation. You did, and Air France apologized to you and issued new flight vouchers for the full value of the tickets, valid for one year.

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

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. You can email him at [email protected] or contact him on his site.

© 2024 Christopher Elliott