ArcaMax

Q: My family of four flew from Toronto to Marrakech, Morocco, on tickets that were booked directly with Delta Air Lines. The first leg was on KLM, and the connection was on Transavia. When we landed in Amsterdam, Transavia couldn't find our reservation at first. After two hours of back and forth, a representative said that our tickets weren't paid in full.

The airline wouldn't give us boarding passes unless we paid $1,198 on the spot. We had no choice but to pay. When we returned home, I contacted Delta Air Lines, which advised me to file a chargeback on my credit card.

Transavia admitted that a refund was due and repeatedly told me they were processing it, but the money never arrived. Each time I follow up, they either ask for the same banking details again or insist that the transfer was rejected. My bank has no record of any attempt by Transavia to send the refund.

Transavia now says that it will close my case if I don't provide the requested information, which I've already sent several times. It feels like a runaround. Can you help me get my $1,198 back? -- Rachel Newton, Toronto

A: If you had tickets to fly to Marrakech, you should have been allowed to board the flight without further payment. You had valid tickets that were issued by Delta for flights that were operated by KLM and Transavia. The fact that Transavia claimed that your tickets were "unpaid" was almost certainly a systems error.

I'm not surprised that this happened to you on Transavia. The airline has been criticized for aggressive fees and, in some cases, refund delays that border on obstruction. And the way they handled your refund? Equally unacceptable. Transavia acknowledged multiple times that you were due a refund. But rather than simply processing it, the airline kept moving the goalposts. This is not customer service -- it's delay by design.

When an airline takes money in error, European Union rules are clear; it must issue a prompt refund. Under EU Regulation 261, passengers are also entitled to assistance and rerouting when airlines mishandle tickets. While this law is better known for compensating delays and cancellations, its core principle is that airlines can't strand you or extort additional money for a flight that you've already purchased.

Delta's advice to file a credit card dispute was wrong. You always want to work directly with the merchant to resolve a billing problem. If you file a dispute, this usually ties up any refund processes. Fortunately, you didn't take this advice from Delta.

You can also appeal your case to the executive contacts at Transavia that I list on my consumer advocacy website, Elliott.org. This was a long and frustrating battle for money that you never should have had to give up in the first place. And it's a reminder: When an airline insists on cash or card at the counter for something that seems wrong, document everything, and if possible, push back before handing over your credit card.

I contacted Transavia on your behalf. "We fully understand how frustrating this situation must be for her and her family, and we regret the long time this refund process has already taken," a representative told me. "Our records show that the refund has been initiated twice, but both transfers were rejected by the receiving bank."

Actually, here's what happened: You gave the airline a SWIFT/BIC code for the transfer, but it insisted on an IBAN code, which isn't used by United States or Canadian banks. You ended up opening an account with WISE to obtain an IBAN code and sent it to Transavia. Then you received a full refund, as promised.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2026 Christopher Elliott

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