DISGRUNTLED travellers say they are still waiting for refunds after flights they had paid for were cancelled.

Passengers claim they have been left out of pocket after booking fares with Minoan Air from Oxford Airport in Kidlington despite some of them being told they would be getting their money back.

Last month the Cretan operator announced it was pulling out of flights from the airport because of a row with management – just five months after it began the journey.

Barbara Slatter, who lives in Ramsay Road, Oxford, said: “I was supposed to be going to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival from August 6 to August 8 and booked a £200 return flight.

“The first email I got from Minoan Air was on July 12 which said it was not going to be able to operate flights but that it would refund the money.”

But Mrs Slatter said two weeks later she hadn’t heard anything and so emailed Minoan asking when she would get the fund. The Oxfordshire County Council education worker said: “They got back to me very quickly and said the cancellation had proceeded successfully and the money would be in my account next week.

“They then emailed again on August 5 to say the refund had been completed but that it would take a few days for the money to go through.

“On August 10, I got another email which said ‘please accept our apologies for the delayed response’ and that the money would go into my account in a few days.”

Beatrice Dobie, of Bell Lane, Thame, had also booked to go to Edinburgh with Minoan Air on August 8.

Retired Ms Dobie said: “I was told by my travel agent Tickets Anywhere that Minoan was stopping flights on July 25. I have been waiting for my money ever since and I need it.”

Richard Tabor, from Abingdon, booked his sister-in-law on a return flight from Edinburgh on August 22.

He said: “I saw that the flights had been cancelled on July 22, so rang them and they said there would be refunds. But the money didn’t come through so I contacted them again.”

The 66-year-old said: “My brother-in-law Colin Brown, 58, was due to go to Edinburgh with Minoan Air too and he is still chasing money.”

But he said Minoan Air had been very co-operative and said he received an email yesterday to say the refund had been processed.

Oxford city councillor Tony Brett, who was also supposed to travel to Dublin on July 17, said he had received compensation and been refunded by the airline.

A spokesman for Minoan Air said: “All of our passengers are already refunded automatically from our reservation system.

“Unfortunately we are not able to confirm the exact day that our passengers will see the refund in their credit/debit card and this is why we kindly ask for their patience.

“We understand that it is very stressful when a flight is cancelled and the refund does not appear.

“We have made all the necessary procedures for all reservations, but it is now depends on the bank when they will see the refund.”