6 February 2022

Louise McBride’s ‘Six steps you can take to safeguard this year’s holiday’

“At the height of the pandemic, many people accepted flight vouchers in lieu of refunds. This summer could be their first real chance to use those vouchers.

“If you accepted a flight voucher, don’t rush into spending it – check the terms and conditions of your voucher because after a certain period of time, you should be entitled to encash it,” said Dr Cyril Sullivan of the European Consumer Centre in Ireland. ECC Ireland can help you if you have any issues using flight vouchers issued by EU airlines based outside Ireland.

Online booking agents allow you to search for and book accommodation – and sometimes flights and car hire. Many consumers ran into difficulties getting their money back after booking accommodation and flights through such agents – when those holidays fell through during the pandemic, according to ECC Ireland.

“We had particular issues with intermediaries in the UK – particularly for bookings made after Brexit,” said Sullivan. “If you are using an intermediary, be very sure you are using one that will look after you if things go wrong.”