24-hour cooling off period call for online air bookings
Monday, 15 Sep, 2009
0
A passenger watchdog has renewed a call for airlines to improve the process of booking tickets online.
The Air Transport Users Council wants more carriers to introduce a 24-hour ‘cooling off’ period to allow passengers to change bookings or get a refund if necessary.
The AUC first raised the issue in June last year in a report on the potential pitfalls when booking air tickets online.
Some airlines have responded by bringing in 24-hour rules but others need to follow suit, according to the AUC.
The issue was first raised because the council was becoming “increasingly disappointed” by the way some airlines handled complaints when passengers had problems booking tickets on the internet.
In a new report today the AUC said: “We want more airlines to introduce a 24-hour cooling off period.
“And for those airlines that have already committed to a cooling off period for telephone reservations, we want them to update this commitment to include online reservations.
“In addition, we want them to be generally more sympathetic to those passengers who inadvertently make an error during the booking process.”
The AUC said it would continue to campaign on for better practice by airlines on the issue.
“A 24-hour rule would cut out haggling between airline and complainant about where the fault lies and allow customers to book air tickets over the internet with greater confidence.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers