Finnair made some headlines in April (read more here) when the airline told a newspaper that it had more than 100,000 refunds queued, and it would take months to process them.
Not sure if this is a coincidence, but two of my friend received their refunds from the airline this week after waiting 9 to 10 weeks.
You can access Finnair here.
EU has reminded airlines that they need to provide refunds:
EU Commission: Passengers Are Eligible For CASH Refunds
As has the US regulator for flights to, from, within the United States:
US DOT Reminds Airlines Again About Refunds
Conclusion
Readers commented on the piece that I wrote last month that Finnair was one of the few European airlines that were willing to refund and wasn’t forcing passengers on canceled flights to opt for a voucher.
The law in most western jurisdictions is unambiguous when it comes to this. If an airline cancels your flight(s), you can opt for a refund. There is no need for you to choose a voucher or accept something else.
I am glad that Finnair processes these refunds, but how long can it take for someone to press REFUND? Finnair got some fresh capital from its majority owner (State of Finland) and has some untapped credit lines left.
