Cancelled AirAsia/AirAsia X flights. What to do?

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MH_fan

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Just got notification that my flights with AirAsia X/AirAsia to coughet for the end of August have now been officially cancelled (obviously due to COVID). They are offering travel credits valid up to 2 years, which is alright I guess, but would prefer a refund. The ticket is for 2 passengers. I'd happily take the credit if it was just me travelling but the amount I'd originally paid (>$2600) would probably cover 2 trips for me alone (which may be harder to use in that time frame) and, if I had to use it for the originally ticketed passengers, then it would also have to depend on whether the other person can travel on the new dates or not, which in itself creates another problem.
What are my options, if any, for getting a refund instead? I know that AirAsia have been trying to avoid refunds at all costs, which is why I waited for them to cancel the flights instead of me initiating a change of flight or converting my flights to a credit, which is what they were trying to get me to do a few weeks ago.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I bought these tickets about a year ago, which is well before the pandemic reared it's ugly head, via Amex. I didn't buy any insurance for it, unfortunately, until after the pandemic was officially announced.
 
Solution
No worries..

Onto the Air Asia website, chat with Ava, a bit of text will appear, click 'COVID 19 flight changes', more text will appear, click 'AirAsia cancelled my flight', yet more text will appear, click 'I want a refund', and then it will prompt you for some details regarding the booking and give you the option to click through to an 'all star'.

It gave me an estimated wait time of about 30 minutes yesterday afternoon but I was put through to someone within ten. Just keep an eye on the window. If they respond and you don't within a small time frame you'll get knocked to the back of the queue again.

I hope this helps.
Hi MH_fan,
Not sure if this is any help to you...
I waited for them to cancel my flights and have just contacted them through their frustrating bot on their website. It took about ten minutes to be put through to a human. They pushed the credit but I asked for a refund. They said it would take 12 to 16 weeks and be subject to evaluation and approval (whatever that means).
I'm not holding my breath but will see what happens. Just make sure you get a case number for future reference.
Good luck.
 
Thanks, irdonn. That is actually helpful. What did you do to get past the bot? I've tried previously and it just ends up in a loop and then I give up.
 
No worries..

Onto the Air Asia website, chat with Ava, a bit of text will appear, click 'COVID 19 flight changes', more text will appear, click 'AirAsia cancelled my flight', yet more text will appear, click 'I want a refund', and then it will prompt you for some details regarding the booking and give you the option to click through to an 'all star'.

It gave me an estimated wait time of about 30 minutes yesterday afternoon but I was put through to someone within ten. Just keep an eye on the window. If they respond and you don't within a small time frame you'll get knocked to the back of the queue again.

I hope this helps.
 
Solution
Finally had the time and opportunity to sort out my cancelled flights this morning. Managed to get through to a "real" person via their online chat (thanks to the advice from irdonn) after waiting just over 25 minutes. They tried pushing for a credit but I insisted on a refund (since they cancelled the flights). Got a case number and the request for a refund has been submitted to the relevant department. Was told it could take 12-16 weeks (which was fine with me) if it gets approved. Fingers crossed! I'm hoping that the fact that they were the ones who cancelled the flights means I have a better chance of a refund.
 
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How long did they take to get back to you? Did they provide a reason for the knockback? Are you still able to do a chargeback?
 
I made contact about two weeks ago.
The reason they gave was government restrictions caused the cancellation of flight, credit provided etc.
I'm not sure a chargeback is possible. It was booked eight/nine months ago.
 
It's been 5 weeks since I made contact and my case is still "in progress". I've had 2 emails since then telling me that they're still working their way through the refund requests and that they're processing refunds on a daily basis. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...
 
It's been 5 weeks since I made contact and my case is still "in progress". I've had 2 emails since then telling me that they're still working their way through the refund requests and that they're processing refunds on a daily basis. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

Mine took about 2 months to come through; patience is a virtue...
 
Does anyone have any idea how far in advance they cancel flights? We have a supposed flight AVV-KUL in mid Sept that is still showing as operational, I keep checking, and all flights up till Aug 31 are showing as non-existent, but flights are still showing for Sept onward, albeit with no availability.

I did try some time back to get them to change it to a credit, but that was knocked back. So I need to wait for them to tell me that the flight is cancelled to try again.
 
Just received an email that our September flights are cancelled, along with advice on how to get credit. When I went to AVA, the request bombed out after I entered the booking Ref. It looks like she goes to the website, which shows that the flight is still operational. I didn't get the option to transfer to a real person, the only option was Main Menu.

I'l check again tomorrow & see if they have updated the website.
 
Talk about leaving it late... AirAsia just sent me a notification of my return flight from coughet being cancelled just 7 days before departure! The funny thing is that you can still check in for the flights on their app!!
Anyway, we've now passed the 6-week mark from when I first requested a refund for these flights. I guess that now the return portion has been officially cancelled by them, I won't be too far away from the refund (which I really hope does come through).
 
They aren't on top of the issues. They are still showing active flights between AVV and KUL, even though there aren't any. I found a link to a live chat facility (not AVA), but I didn't many to reach anybody in 2 hours yesterday. I've started it up again today and am monitoring it in the background to see if I can get through.
 
Well I got an initial reply to my case - they wanted a copy of the cancellation email as well as my BIG account number. What a hopeless organisation. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would just look up all that on their system. Talk about the left hand not knowing about the right hand. I also asked them to fix the website to show that AVV-KUL flights are cancelled, but that does not appear to be happening.

I held on for the live chat for over 3.5 hours without getting anyone to answer before I gave up. I guess I have to wait for them to resolve my case.
 
I tried AVA again yesterday, and she put me through to a LIVE person. I had to hold for 17 minutes, but at least I got through. This one was able to see all my details, although I still had to provide the booking ref & my BIG acct number. The upshot is that my credit has to go to another department, & will take several weeks to come through. Fortunately, I don't need it until the flights open for the same time next year.
 
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