Airlines Must Step In if Booking Agencies Fail to Refund Cancelled Morocco Flights
A flight to Morocco is cancelled, and the booking agency sends the customer to the airline. Europe has now set refund rules: deadlines for each party, agency fees covered, and a solution if the money does not arrive. The reform will take effect in 2027.
A Paris–Casablanca ticket is bought through a platform, then the flight is cancelled: who has to return the money? The European Parliament wants to end the blurred lines of responsibility between travel agencies and airlines. On Tuesday, October 20, MEPs adopted a reform by 652 votes to 2, with 8 abstentions, reports Euronews.
The new system sets a clear timetable. When an agency or platform has paid the airline for the ticket from its own account, the airline will have seven days to return the money to the agency or platform, starting from the traveller’s choice to receive a refund. The intermediary will then have a further seven days to refund its customer.
Another change: booking fees charged by the agency will also be refundable. Travellers will therefore be able to recover the full price of their ticket, including commissions. An exception is provided for certain very small independent agencies, provided they clearly disclosed any non-refundable fees before the purchase.
If the agency does not refund the money, the airline must step in
The text provides recourse when the money remains tied up. If the airline has received no confirmation of the refund after fourteen days, it must contact the passenger directly the following day to obtain their bank details and proof of payment. It will then have seven days to pay the amount owed.
Travellers will also benefit from a common European form for claiming a refund or compensation. Available in all the European Union’s official languages, it can be submitted online or by mail. Forms provided by carriers will remain valid.
The reform directly affects routes to and from Morocco. A flight departing from Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam or Madrid is covered by European rules, regardless of the airline. For a journey from Morocco to the European Union, these protections apply when the carrier is a European airline, subject to the conditions set out in the regulations.
A ticket refund will remain separate from any financial compensation related to the cancellation or delay. The new procedures will also apply to rail, coach and boat travellers, with rules adapted to each mode of transport.
According to the EFE news agency, the text must still receive formal approval from the Council of the European Union before its official publication. It is due to take effect on 23 October 2027. The new obligations will therefore come into force one year after the Parliament’s vote.
