KINGFISHER AIRLINES - WHERE'S MY MONEY?

Earlier this year KINGFISHER AIRLINES decided to cancel my return flight to the UK, leaving me stranded in Thailand. (Granted, there are worse places you could be stranded). I was told that due to Kingfisher cancelling all flights from Thailand to the UK, they were unable to book me onto an alternative flight. STA Travel, the agency with whom I bought the ticket through, informed me I would receive a partial refund on the unused part of the ticket, but they could not tell me when this would be actioned. The only option open to me was to book myself onto another flight with a different airline, which is exactly what I did, costing me an extra £400 on top of the £600 plus I'd already spent on the original ticket.

It's now over 6 months later and I am yet to receive either a partial refund or a reimbursement for the cost of the extra ticket. Irritated is putting it mildly, these are not the most affluent of times, I want my money!

Every time I contact STA Travel to enquire about my refund I am simply told that they have not yet received it, so therefore they are unable to pass it on. When I contacted Kingfisher I was informed that all correspondence must go through the broker with whom I purchased the ticket with – STA Travel. See the pattern?!!!

I'm getting the distinct feeling I may never receive any recompense, but maybe I've just become too cynical? Kingfisher are clearly out of line here, I wonder if this is a common complaint with this particular airline, or am I just unlucky? Or maybe this is endemic to the airline industry as a whole?

I can't help but feel that STA Travel are less than sympathetic and wonder if they could be doing more for my cause? Although, I only have positive things to say about STA regarding my previous dealings and transactions with them.

I've now registered a complaint with the Civil Aviation Authority, the only option left to me as far as I can fathom. I'll keep you posted with any updates. If anyone has any advice or experience concerning this or similar airline issues, please comment below.