Trip.com Refuses to Transfer Paid Seats After Wizz Air Flight Delay

I purchased a ticket through Trip.com for my April 4 Wizz Air flight from Budapest to Istanbul and also paid an additional fee for seat selection. My flight was delayed by approximately 3–4 hours by the airline, entirely outside of my control.

After the delay, the first customer service representative I spoke with told me that my seats would most likely be transferred to the new flight, and if not, I would receive a refund. However, a second representative later told me that the seats could not be transferred, that my baggage would also not be transferred, and that the approximately $250 I paid would be lost. When I said this was not possible and that I had researched the company’s policy, they did not believe me and even asked for screenshots. I ask: what company could survive by taking $250 from customers due to its own delay? This is unacceptable. Despite this, I later confirmed that my baggage had in fact been transferred to the new flight, proving that I had been given incorrect information.

In an email from Trip.com titled “Do you accept the delay?”, it stated that I needed to approve the change quickly in order for my seats to be transferred, and I gave that approval. Despite this, my seats were not transferred to the new flight. Furthermore, the second representative claimed that even though the flight change was caused by the airline and not by me, my seat rights would not be transferred. I find this approach both unacceptable and unlawful. (Additionally, only one passenger appears to have a seat assigned—14A—even though we did not check in, and this seat is not one of the seats we originally selected or paid for.)

When I contacted Wizz Air, they clearly stated that seat transfers and similar actions could be handled by the intermediary agency. However, when I relayed this information to the Trip.com representative, they denied ever saying that seat transfers were not possible and contradicted their earlier statements. All these conversations are recorded and available in call logs.

Throughout this process, I experienced misinformation, inconsistent explanations, and clear harm as a customer. I request that the seats I purchased be immediately transferred to the new flight. If this is not possible, I demand a full refund of the seat selection fees I paid. Otherwise, I will pursue my legal rights.