Sunwing has reached a new agreement with the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC) to provide financing for refunds to customers with non-refundable bookings whose vacations were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company also says travel agent commissions will not be recalled.

Full refunds (to original form of payment) apply to clients who had booked hotels, flights, and vacation packages on or before June 25, 2021, for scheduled travel from Feb. 1, 2020, onwards and who have received a future travel credit or opted to use their ‘Worry Free’ cancellation waiver and received travel vouchers.

To request a refund, eligible customers and travel agents must submit a request through an online COVID-19 request form by Aug. 27, 2021, after which regular refund terms and conditions apply.

Customers who booked through a travel agent or a third party must contact their travel agent or third party to request a refund.

Those not eligible for a refund under the new policy include customers who already received a refund, including a refund from an insurance provider; customers who received a refund from initiating a chargeback, or have a chargeback currently in progress; or customers who transferred their travel credit to another person not named on the booking.

Customers who wish to keep travel credits can do so for travel up to Sept. 30, 2026.

The repayable government loan is separate from an existing LEEFF loan, agreed to in February, whereby CEEFC is making $348 million of liquidity available to Sunwing Vacations Inc. and Sunwing Airlines Inc. to protect jobs in Canada’s airline sector.

More information on the refund process and eligibility can be found on Sunwing’s web site. www.sunwing.ca