The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation have today issued guidance on the right of travellers to terminate package travel contracts due to the extraordinary circumstances resulting from COVID-19. This guidance is available here.
Our summary of the guidance is as follows:
- If (due to Covid-19) a customer cancels a package that is due to start before 29 May 2020 that customer is entitled to cancel the package and get a full refund of all payments made for the package. The customer cannot be charged a termination fee.
- The customer is entitled to a full refund of all payments made if the package includes a travel service (e.g. a flight or accommodation) or a tourist service (e.g. attendance at a sporting or cultural event), and that travel or tourist service is cancelled before 29 May 2020 (due to Covid-19). The customer cannot be charged a termination fee.
- The current 29 May 2020 date may change in the light of changing circumstances and evolving official health and travel advice.
- For packages that are due to start after 29 May 2020, the customer is entitled to cancel the package at any time before the start of that package but can be required to pay an appropriate termination fee. The contract may specify the fee to be paid. For details of how that termination fee is calculated refer to: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2019/si/80/made/en/print
