Flybe goes bust and cancels all flights- what are your rights?

Flybe has gone bust for a second time, cancelling all flights to and from the UK. We explain your refund and rebooking rights. 

The regional airline has ceased all trading, according to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which has cancelled all flights and left passengers concerned they’re stranded.

The airline initially went 'bust' in 2020, before being relaunched in April 2022. But the new owners failed to save the struggling airline.

Paul Smith, Consumer Director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are cancelled. For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authority’s website or our Twitter feed for more information.”

Here, we explain your rights if your flight has been cancelled and if you can get a rebooking or a refund.

FlyBe goes bust

My flight has been cancelled, what can I do?

If you have an upcoming flight with Flybe, that has been cancelled there are alternative travel arrangements you can choose from. 

Ryanair is offering affected Flybe customers flights from £29.99 which you can book now on the Ryanair website (opens in new tab). The travel dates start from 26 March 2023 and these are the routes on offer: 

• Belfast to East Midlands 
• Manchester and London Stansted

EasyJet (opens in new tab) is offering Flybe customers £49 flights for domestic routes and £79 for international routes, which include a 15kg hold bag. These flights will be available with the original Flybe booking reference and the offer is only in place until 5 February. 

To claim Easyjet flights, you can call one of the following numbers, depending on where you are based:

• If calling from UK & elsewhere: +44 (0) 330 5515151
• In calling from France: +33 (0) 9 77407770
• If calling from the Netherlands: +31 (0) 20 7946405
• If calling from Italy: +39 02 32068889

British Airways (opens in new tab) is helping Flybe customers by offering one-way flights costing £50 for selected routes (plus taxes, fees and charges). The routes on offer include: 

• London and Belfast
• Newcastle or Amsterdam

What are my refund rights?

If your flight was cancelled and you would like a refund, these are your refund rights according to the CAA.

If you booked with Flybe using your credit card, you might be protected under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

This means if you paid more than £100 to Flybe for flights, you could claim the money back from your credit card provider. You can do so by calling them up. 

Alternatively, if you paid by debit card you can call up your provider and try to claim a refund through its chargeback rules. 

You can check your travel insurance and see if you are covered by Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI), which covers the cost of your flights if the airline goes bust, and only if you booked directly with an airline. This will depend on the type of policy you have taken out. 

Note, you can only do one or the other, either get a refund or travel on an alternative route.

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