Dear On the Beach Customer Services,
I am writing to formally request a full refund for my holiday booking to Abu Dhabi, which I cancelled due to the ongoing armed conflict in the region.
As a pregnant traveller, I made the decision not to travel on the clear advice of medical professionals and official government guidance, which strongly discourages non-essential travel to areas affected by active conflict. Travelling to Abu Dhabi under these circumstances would have posed a serious and unacceptable risk to both my health and the health of my unborn child.
I am deeply concerned by the contradictory position I have been placed in by your company and Etihad Airlines. When I contacted Etihad directly, I was told that all refund requests must be directed to On the Beach, as the booking agent. However, when I contacted On the Beach, I was told to pursue the matter with the airline. This is wholly unacceptable. As the package holiday organiser and the company with whom I entered into a contract, On the Beach bears the legal responsibility for resolving this matter, you cannot redirect me to a third party and consider your obligations fulfilled.
I wish to draw your attention to the following:
• Under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, I am entitled to a full refund where unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances such as armed conflict significantly affect the performance of the holiday or the transport of passengers to the destination.
• The ongoing conflict in the region constitutes exactly such circumstances, and my cancellation was entirely reasonable and justified.
• American Express have provisionally refunded the cost of this booking on my behalf; however, they have advised that if the dispute is not formally resolved, I may be required to repay those funds. It is therefore critical that this matter is resolved promptly and in my favour.
I am requesting written confirmation of a full refund within 14 days of this email. Should I not receive a satisfactory response within this timeframe, I will have no choice but to escalate this matter to the Competition and Markets Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority, and/or pursue a claim through the courts.
Please treat this matter with the urgency it deserves.
Yours sincerely,
Daniella
Booking Reference
MYB14856792B
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