I follow this forum, although I am not big on posting. Today was to be the start of RS BOE trip that I started planning last July. We are hopeful that this pandemic will subside and international travel will be possible once again in the not too distant future.
I am grateful that as of this morning all my upfront costs for a traveling party of 4 have been refunded. Thanks to all the advice from others on this forum on seeking refunds, as knowledge is key is getting some of the refunds. By far RS was the most professional and hassle free about the refund and I have a great deal of respect for his team for managing this effort....THANK YOU.
I had timed tickets for Versailles that were non-refundable. I went ahead and sent a respectful email citing my reservation numbers requesting a refund. The response was the tickets were non-refundable, which I already knew. The tickets were valid until the end of December 2020. Unexpectedly, several weeks later my credit card was refunded.
I had booked 4 tickets through United (United outbound and Swiss Air inbound - Swiss Air is a United partner). A direct flight to Paris and Swiss Air from Rome connecting through Zurich back to the US. All 4 seats were purchased on a credit card with United. I played the waiting game not seeking a voucher or credit. Within 3 weeks of the scheduled initial flight, I received an email from United that my itinerary was changed but not cancelled. I still did nothing and waited. I noticed that Swiss Air was canceling flights out of Rome running about 2-3 weeks ahead of scheduled flights. I checked Swiss Air daily for my flight. On May 5, my flight from Rome to USA was cancelled, so I now met the criteria for a United refund. On May 5th, I called United and respectfully stated that one of my flight segments was cancelled and I wanted a refund. I was put on hold for less than 5 minutes and was told that refund was forthcoming with 20-30 days. I stated that refunds were required within 7 days, but that did not change the response during the call.
United refunded each person's ticket separately with a refund to my credit card. The first refund came within 3 business days. Two additional ticket costs were refunded on the 5th business day. The final refund was May 16, which is 7-8 business days depending how you count the days.
My experience was as stated by many on this forum......wait and do not cancel your airline. If you cancel, you will likely receive a voucher or credit. Wait until your flight is near and call United...no online request forms. Track your flights for cancellations. If a flight segment is cancelled call United and request a refund. This was a slow process and a waiting game.