Refund for air ticket

QUESTION: I would like to know whether we are entitled to a refund on an airline ticket which we bought in the UK for a flight to France. The flight was cancelled and we were issued us with a voucher for another flight with the airline. We did not want to wait for an available flight with the airline, so we bought a new ticket on another carrier. We took the vouchers, but they are pretty useless to us now. Are we entitled to a refund? If so, who should we claim it from? - John Sutherland

ANSWER: You are entitled to a refund from the airline in terms of the passenger rights regulations adopted by the European Union in 2004. EU Regulation 261/2004 states that passengers whose flights are cancelled "should be able either to obtain reimbursement of their tickets or to obtain rerouting under satisfactory conditions". You should contact the airline directly.