Airline tickets become flexible, here are the companies' new rules
Booking and changing your mind, here's how major airlines behave
Turkish Airlines
Ryanair
Qatar Airways
Lufthansa
easyJet
British Airways
Alitalia
Air France
Star Alliance
SkyTeam
Oneworld
The onset of the pandemic hit the aviation world hard, not only because planes were grounded in less than 45 days worldwide, but also because companies were not remotely prepared for such a tsunami and had to figure out how to adjust cancellation policies to meet changing needs.
In this article:
We can divide the situation into 2 stages.
The first phase affected more tickets issued before the outbreak of the pandemic. Initially it impacted flights to and from China, then in March-when the Covid-19 wave first hit Europe and a couple of weeks later the United States-companies faced a sudden emergency, a tidal wave of requests for refunds from users who had had their flights canceled. The response was slow and haphazard, even in light of a situation not foreseen in the various carriers' purchase agreements.
To get an idea of the amount of reimbursements paid out, we can take as an example Lufthansa, which recently announced that it had Returned more than 3 billion euros. Between unreachable switchboards, vouchers with very short deadlines, and refunds that did not arrive, travelers had to sweat a lot to see their case recognized. All this while the companies themselves struggled to make ends meet, since in many cases the ticket money had already been spent on staff, aircraft and everything else.
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The second phase, let's say post-pandemic, is one that saw companies immediately try to regain the trust of customers by launching More flexible cancellation policies, leaving the option for the traveler to change his or her mind and/or cancel the reservation altogether. This flexibility, normally paid dearly in the ticket, is now no longer a "luxurious optional extra" because carriers need to cash in fresh money to keep from going out of business.
In recent months, companies have adopted different strategies, the most imaginative and interesting by far being Qatar's, but other companies such as British, Air France/KLM and Alitalia have also come up with a standard flexible ticket recipe. Let's look in detail at the proposals of the major carriers operating in Italy.
A small preamble: these policies change all the time, without notice, so if you are about to book it is good to read the company's rules carefully and especially how to behave if you buy your ticket directly on the official website or through an intermediary, either physical or digital.
Alitalia
Needless to say, the Italian company's rules are the most cumbersome and full of loopholes, you can tell just by comparing The length of the page that explains all the variables Than that of other carriers.
Flights canceled by the company
The following is proposed the change of reservation (rebooking or rerouting-that is, changing the itinerary to travel from the originally planned departure airport to the originally planned arrival airport), without fare supplementation, to travel where possible, Within 7 days before or after to the date of the cancelled flight. On the other hand, if you move your trip beyond 7 days but within one year, you are required to pay the fare difference. Alternatively, a full refund or a voucher valid for 18 months of the value of the reservation can be requested.
Passenger request for trip modification/cancellation
Here the variables are even more numerous and have recently changed because of the new DPCM of November 3. The first distinction is on the date of purchase (before or after April 30, 2020) and consequently on the date of travel, the variables to understand what the options are for travelers are too many, the advice is to visit the appropriate page on the company's website.
Qatar
The Middle Eastern airline was among the first to reopen routes and launch its policy of "back to dreaming." In detail, all tickets issued by Qatar post-pandemic by December 31 enjoy total flexibility, indeed until late August the flexibility was even greater.
The traveler can postpone the trip for 2 years, can change the date of the flight for free to travel until December 31, 2021. In case the customer requests a refund, he/she may receive a voucher valid for 2 years increased by 10% over the price paid for the ticket. If, however, is the company to cancel/change the flight then the traveler can receive the full ticket refund or change it to QMiles, For every dollar, you earn 80 Qmiles valid for at least 3 years. In addition to the date change, you can change your flight destination for free to travel until December 31, 2021.
British Airways
"Book with confidence" is the new policy that BA applies to all tickets sold, as happened with Qatar the conditions have worsened compared to the summer period, but still remain very favorable to the traveler. In each case one has the option to change the date and destination of the reservation or even cancel it completely.
Flight canceled by the company
If your flight has been canceled, you can request a voucher worth the same amount as your reservation. The voucher will be valid for travel until April 30, 2022, and can be used as full or partial payment for a subsequent reservation. In addition, Executive Club Members, whose flights have been canceled, can choose Avios instead of a voucher or refund. Choosing Avios, as an alternative to the cash paid portion of the ticket, provides the opportunity to enjoy a bonus of 100% over Avios purchased at the standard fare
Change of reservation
You can change the dates and destination of your reservation without paying any fees, although you will have to pay any difference in price (applies to reservations made on or after March 3, 2020 for trips that were to be completed by August 31, 2021).
Cancellation of reservation
If you choose to stop going, you can cancel your reservation and receive a voucher of equal value to be used for a future reservation (applies to reservations made on or after March 3, 2020, for trips that were to be completed by August 31, 2021).
Lufthansa
The German airline's slogan is #Wecare, as mentioned LH has returned more than 3 billion euros to its passengers and simultaneously opened up to flexible ticketing.
Voucher for tickets booked by May 15 (departing from within the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States). Your flight has been canceled or you wish to travel on a later date: Tickets booked by and including May 15, 2020 can be converted to Flight Value Voucher.
Reservation changes for all rates, maximum flexibility so that travel plans can be adjusted. It currently offers the opportunity to flexibly rebook fares and ticket prices on short-, medium-, and long-haul routes. This option applies to both existing and new bookings, regardless of departure airport.
Air France KLM
Even more streamlined on the transalpine company's page. The tickets are 100% flexible. This means. In case of flight cancellation passenger can reschedule the flight to a new date at no cost, or request a voucher or refund. If, on the other hand, it is the passenger who changes his or her mind. may request a voucher or move the flight by paying the fare difference.
Turkish Airlines
The slogan chosen by the Turkish company is "Open for new travel." Again, there is maximum flexibility for the change; only the fare difference is paid. If, on the other hand, it is the airline that cancels the flight, then the customer can request an open ticket, for the same route, to be used by the end of 2021 or alternatively a refund of the reservation.
Separate chapter for low-costs.
Ryanair
To change a flight departing in November 2020 to a flight departing through March 21, 2021, you will be required to pay only the difference, if any, between the price you originally paid (for the flight and additional services) and the price posted on the website for the purchase of a new ticket. On the other hand, the "Flight Change" surcharge provided in the Table of Optional Surcharges will not be applied, except when otherwise stated in the Terms and Conditions. The offer applies to bookings made after June 10, 2020. Complicated to find the link to the page explaining what to do if a flight is canceled by the company, but this is nothing new.
EasyJet
The orange company also does not shine for simplicity, but at least the effort of the wizard clearly visible on the home page must be appreciated.
Just today the company simultaneously with the announcement of theoffer connected with his 25th birthday announced the new FLEX policy. You can now change your flight to any destination and date without paying rebooking fees up to 14 days before departure. Only if the new fare is higher will you have to pay the difference. Interesting especially the new policy in case of new restrictions via DPCM, the airline will eliminate rebooking fees even if it is less than 14 days before departure, with a little extra care be sure to make the change within a week of the date the new restrictions are announced. If, on the other hand, it is the airline that cancels the flight, the passenger is offered a choice between refund or voucher.
In addition to the flexible ticket, carriers, first and foremost Emirates, have decided to give away an insurance policy for all passengers. An insurance that covers Covid-related health problems, before and after the flight, covering any costs of hospitalization, quarantine and possibly repatriation. All this to get passengers back on board.
