Five airlines operating in Chile have agreed with the National Consumer Service to refund approximately US$9 million to their passengers in boarding fees.

SKY, Avianca, JetSMART, Aerolíneas Argentinas, and Copa Airlines are currently the airlines participating in the trans-Andean agency’s ‘Senarc’ program and which have voluntarily submitted proposals to refund their customers’ boarding fees for unused tickets between the years 2015 and 2021.

According to our partner Aeroin,  approximately 730,000 users of these airlines will benefit from this plan with a total value of 7.5 billion Chilean pesos, equivalent to US$9 million.

In the words of Lucas Del Villar, Sernac’s Director, this is an unprecedented process that «will allow thousands of consumers to receive back the money for boarding fees for trips they never took, and probably did not even know they had the right to claim».

Moreover, he points out that «from now on, the companies, in addition to returning the money for the fares, must implement effective mechanisms so that every time a person buys a ticket and does not travel for any reason, the money corresponding to this concept is returned in time and form, as established in the regulations».

On the other hand, the National Consumer Service has prepared a collective lawsuit to be filed against the Spanish company Iberia, which also operates in Chile and which, despite its participation in the Voluntary Collective Proceeding, did not present any satisfactory proposal. As a result, they will have to answer before the courts, risking fines, as well as indemnities and compensation.

In addition to the 5 companies mentioned above, LATAM had also offered and accepted a proposal that benefited almost 400,000 customers with 4 billion Chilean pesos, or about US$5 million.