The Times Weekend - UK (2021-11-20)

62 Travel

Don’t put

up with this

Struggling to get

a refund on f lights

I had to cancel a trip to Canada and

the USA in the summer due to Covid

restrictions. British Airways issued

me a voucher that is valid until 2023.

American Airlines, however, said I

could use the value of the flight, but

to do so I had to fly by November 20,

2021, because that was a year since

the original booking was made. When

I inquired about a new trip just to

New York and back, AA told me that

I had to go to Canada and then the

USA on the original flight plan. That

seems nonsense. I have paid £700

for nothing. Can you help me get my

money back?

Karl Davies, via email

Anyone thinking of planning a trip

to the US now that it’s open again to

vaccinated travellers should look

carefully at airline booking and refund

rules because the pandemic is not over

and, as your case proves, some offer

far more flexible policies than others.

American is one of the least generous

but fortunately, after looking at your

case again, it has relented and given

you a cash refund. “The customer

in this instance purchased a non-

refundable ticket and was eligible for a

one-year voucher under our Covid-19

travel waiver. Our team reviewed the

matter and made a one-time exception

to our refund policy based on the

circumstances,” a spokesman said.

Q

I’ve been ill and my husband

has been wonderfully

supportive, so I’d like to

thank him with a special trip.

We’d both love to see the

northern lights, especially in a truly

northern location, and I was thinking

of Finland. I’m looking for a three or

four-night trip in March or April and

have a budget of £1,000 to £1,500pp.

What would you suggest?

Gill Tomlinson, via email

A

For a treat, stay at the Apukka

Resort, in the wilderness

surrounding Rovaniemi in

Finnish Lapland, where you’ll be

just minutes from the Arctic Circle. From

here you can whizz off on a snowmobile

ride after dark in search of the northern

lights and then snuggle down for the

night in one of the hotel’s glass-roofed

Aurora Domes. You might be lucky

enough to see more of the spectacular

celestial show here (of course it’s never

guaranteed, however far north you go).

Fill the days with wintry activities from

snowshoeing and reindeer sleigh rides to

ice carving. Three nights’ B&B starts at

£1,225pp next March, including flights,

transfers and the snowmobile ride (best-

served.co.uk). Or try one of the split-level

Aurora suites at the Iso-Syote hotel, also

in Finnish Lapland, which have large

windows at the end of the bed looking

out to a hot tub on the balcony, perfect

for aurora watching. Husky sledding,

a reindeer safari and a visit to the

northernmost zoo in the world are all

possibilities and three nights’ half-board

starts at £683pp, flights extra (discover-

the-world.com). Download the free

My Aurora Forecast app, which will

tell you how likely you are to see

the lights in your location.

Q I was recently in St Tropez and

booked a taxi online with Magic

VTC to take me to Nice Airport at

7am. I had confirmation of the

“fixed price” and five hours before

the pick-up I received a text asking

me to pay a deposit of £171, which I

thought was the total price quoted. I

Travel doctor Solving your holiday dilemmas

Julia Brookes

Consumer expert

Q The Covid booster jab does not show

on the NHS app. As of December 15,

France will require evidence of the

booster jab for the over-65s before

they are allowed into restaurants and

museums and on public transport.

How will older people be able to

prove they have had the booster in

a way that is acceptable to the

French authorities?

Kitty Stanbrook, via email

A How indeed. It’s a mystery why the

EU Digital Covid Certificate has been

designed to display proof of boosters

but the NHS Covid Pass has not. “We

know some countries are altering their

vaccination requirements, so we

continue to keep this under review to

ensure British citizens can travel abroad

as easily as possible,” a Department of

Health and Social Care spokesperson

said. Until the problem is resolved,

over-65s visiting France may have to

pay for tests every 72 hours to get a

pass sanitaire, as children aged 12 to 15

who can’t access the NHS Covid Pass

now have to do.

Contact us

If you have a gripe, suggestion or question

relating to your holidays, please email

[email protected]

paid because I was worried the booking

wouldn’t proceed. The taxi didn’t turn

up. I waited 30 minutes and then had to

make other arrangements. But the

company subsequently took another

£147 for extra charges from my card. I

was told I didn’t sign a document in

time and have been sent a voucher

for the full amount, but it’s

worthless to me because I rarely

visit France. Can you help?

Hilary Monk, via email

A Magic VTC flatly refused to give

you a cash refund, insisting it had

stuck to its terms and conditions. I

asked the UK International Consumer

Centre (UKICC), which offers free

advice in cross-border European disputes

between consumers and traders, to

intervene. They advised you to make a

chargeback or Section 75 claim with your

credit card provider. At the same time its

counterparts in the European Consumer

Centre in France contacted the company,

outlined your situation and asked for a

refund — but to no avail. “The trader’s

response was rather negative. We often

find that just the involvement of an

ECC is enough to make a trader change

his or her mind, but this isn’t always the

case, so we are pleased that the

consumer took our advice and made a

claim with her credit card company,

which appears to have been successful,”

a UKICC spokesperson said.

Q I’m planning a short break by train

to Winchester next May and want my

holiday to be as eco-friendly as possible.

Could you suggest a suitable eco-

friendly hotel? I’d like to treat some

friends to a very good meal there too,

but is there a guide to eco-friendly

restaurants?

Patricia Foster, via email

A England’s ancient capital is an

excellent choice for a short break, with

the compact city centre an easy walk

from the station. The hotel with the

biggest commitment to sustainability and

carbon footprint reduction is the Holiday

Inn, which holds a Carbon Smart Gold

award. The drawback of this hotel is that

it’s slightly out of town and you’d need to

reach it by bus or cab (room-only doubles

from £97 in May, hiwinchester.co.uk).

You might also want to consider the

Old Vine, a local independent pub with

rooms right next to the cathedral, and

look forward to a locally sourced full

English for breakfast (room-only doubles

from £130 in May, oldvinewinchester.

com). As for restaurants, the Chesil

Rectory or Inn the Park both serve

top-notch food in beautiful, historic

settings and source from local producers.

Husky sledding in

Rovaniemi. Below:

Winchester cathedral

ALAMY