Coronavirus Refunds: Ryanair Refunds Could Require As Long As Six Months; Tampa Bay Rays Will Allow Reimbursements, Credits

The coronavirus pandemic is upsetting normal life the world over, and plenty of consumers want refunds on things they paid for but aren’t able to use. Here’s a roundup of some coronavirus-related refunds airlines and professional sports teams are offering.

Airline Tickets

Michael O’Leary, the head of Ryanair, has said it could take as long as six months to give travelers their money back for flights called off due to COVID-19, the BBC reported. He said per the BBC that the carrier was grappling with a reimbursement backlog with decreased staff.

The airline is set to reduce its workforce by 15 percent as it reconfigures itself to deal with the coronavirus. However, the executive said per the outlet, “If you want a cash refund, you will receive a cash refund.”

But Jonathan Compton, a partner at the DMH Stallard law firm, noted, “Where a flight is cancelled, the legal position is clear, the airline must provide a full refund within seven working days.”

Baseball Tickets

The Tampa Bay Rays are letting those who have season tickets or tickets for individual games to get credits or reimbursements for missed games in May, April, and March, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported.

The team is said to follow in the footsteps of a growing roster of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams providing refunds for season and individual game tickets. It put a frequently asked questions (FAQ) feature on its website, and ticket holders were told about the reimbursement policy through e-mail.

As previously reported, MLB was giving the go-ahead to provide fans with refunds for contests this year, given that COVID-19 seems likely to cancel many of the games. Even though the coronavirus pandemic has pushed Opening Day off by over a month, it was reported that officials had declared all games missed to date as “postponed” instead of cancelled.