The Consumer Foundation in Thailand has released a statement demanding action is taken in regards to the customers affected by Thai Airways International Plc’s bankruptcy reconstruction filing.
The airline publically announced last week that due to the Central Bankruptcy Court accepting their filing, the airline would be unable to refund customers who had purchased tickets for at least six months.
While some customers have been offered options such as the postponement of travel dates without extra charges, the extension of ticket validity, and the exchanging of tickets for travel vouchers, with the airline’s future so unclear many ticket holders simply want a refund.
The Head of the Consumer Rights Protection Center, Narumon Mekborisut, said that they had written to both the Transport Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) to request customers who are treated unfairly can gain proper compensation for their troubles.
She said that she hoped the relevant agencies would “supervise and solve” the issues as soon as possible. She continued:
“The airline’s actions are taking advantage of consumers who have suffered during the spread of the virus, for example, claiming that there is no policy to cancel travel or that there is no way to request a refund.”
Ms. Mekborisut wants Thai Airways to announce concrete refund deadlines citing that a cash refund should not take more than seven days and a credit card refund no more than 30 days, as an example.
However, Thai Airways has said they need at least six months to process refunds because of its obligations under the bankruptcy law.
There has not been a response to the letter from either the Finance Ministry or the CAAT as of yet.
Source: ConsumerThai
