Travel agents still owed tens of thousands of dollars by Bamboo Airways have received communication from the carrier after a Travel Weekly story revealed that they were still waiting for refunds from flights paid for in 2023.
Travel agent Helen Rolton, part of TravelManagers, told Travel Weekly that she was still waiting on a $15,000 refund from the airline for her client, a family of six. At the time of going to press she had contacted the airline several times but was not being responded to.
Travel agent STILL waiting on $15k Bamboo Airways refund 16 MONTHS after carrier left Australia
“Our BSP people have been following up, everyone’s been following up, but Bamboo is just ghosting everyone,” she said.
Since the 11th of February story, TravelManagers has received communication from Bamboo Airways stating that it will be repaying Australian customers and agents. The letter said that the payments had been delayed as the airline no longer has access to IATA’s BSP system. It will be issuing the refunds in waves, with the full refund expected by 30 June 2025. The letter is dated the 28th of January, however, TravelManagers did not receive the letter until mid-February.
Whilst the agents were happy with the communication, one agent was concerned that a way to make the payments had not been identified. Since the story, a number of individuals have come forward stating that they are also waiting on refunds of between $1,000 and $10,000.
Travel Weekly contacted the ACCC to see if Bamboo Airlines was in breach of Australian consumer law. The ACCC clarified that “consumers are entitled to a remedy which may be a replacement service, credit, or refund, depending on the circumstances” if an airline cancels a flight.
“If a business makes a commercial decision to withdraw from the Australian market, they should ensure they comply with the ACL in their withdrawal process,” it stated.
Despite this, the ACCC “does not specify any timeframes in which businesses must process refunds” but expects “businesses to do so within a reasonable timeframe in the circumstances.” It also”expects businesses to communicate regularly with consumers about the timing of any refunds.”
“If the issue cannot be resolved directly with the business, consumers can contact their state or territory consumer protection agency, who may be able to assist them in engaging with the business,” the ACCC said.
