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ATUC calls for 24-hour cooling-off period for airline booking

The Air Transport Users Council (ATUC) is calling on airlines to introduce a 24-hour cooling-off period for customers who make a mistake when they book online. In its 2008 report on buying tickets online, the watchdog said seven of the 20 airlines it surveyed had a 24-hour internal policy rule to allow customers to change these bookings.

Aer Lingus does not have a 24 hour rule but it is committed to refunding duplicate bookings, while Virgin Atlantic had a 24-hour rule under its customer charter for an administration fee of £30.

Flybe and Jet2.com had 24-hour rules at the airlines’ discretion and Jet2.com also charge a £40 administration fee.

The remaining airlines make no reference to the 24-hour rule for online bookings, although KLM and Lufthansa refer to the rule for telephone bookings.

The ATUC said it wanted more airlines to introduce the rule and those airlines committed to a cooling-off period for telephone bookings to include online reservations. In addition, it wants them to be more sympathetic to passengers who inadvertently make a mistake during the booking process.

The 24-hour rules would cut out haggling between airline and complainant about where the fault lies and allow consumers to book air tickets over the internet with greater confidence, the ATUC said.

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