Photo: wikimedia commons A man who booked a vacation flight from Vancouver to Germany is not entitled to a refund after BC’s Civil Consolidation court ruled that not traveling during the pandemic was a personal preference. According to the decision, Hamid Seyed Alamolhoda had booked a return flight with Lufthansa on October 31, 2021. At a cost of $1,760, he was scheduled to depart before the Christmas holidays. But as the COVID-19 pandemic developed, Alamolhoda became worried and opted to cancel his flight booking. According to Vice-President Andrea Ritchie’s decision on September 21, “Alamolhoda says that most shops in Germany were closed and that he should be going on vacation, not to a ‘ghost town’.” Lufthansa said Alamolhoda bought a non-refundable ticket and has already refunded the unused taxes. Alamolhoda, however, demanded a refund of $1,510, the non-refundable balance of the ticket. In his decision, Ritchie found that it was Alamolhoda’s “choice” to cancel the booking and that the decision was “based on holiday preferences, not any travel restrictions due to COVID-19”. Ritchie said Alamolhoda denied booking a non-refundable ticket but did not provide evidence. Lufthansa, on the other hand, provided the court with its internal booking record and fare rules that show the ticket is non-refundable. Ritchie dismissed the claim, saying Alamolhoda had the option to rebook his trip anytime within a year of the original flight date without change fees. Lufthansa said the man chose to cancel the ticket anyway.
