The airline industry is in a crisis-mode among government-imposed travel restrictions and travelers’ concerns regarding the coronavirus.
This is the greatest airline and travel downturn since 9/11, with a sharp reduction in travel demand across the world.
Many passengers are trying to change or cancel their flight reservations, facing unclear cancellation policies of both airlines, travel agencies and flight search engines.
Flight Cancellation By The Airline
In any case of flight cancellation by the airline, due to the coronavirus, airlines will provide customers a full refund.
Some of the airlines will issue the refund automatically, and others will require the customers to contact customer service.
Be aware that airline customer service centers are a little overwhelmed these days, so you can expect significant waiting times and delays in responding to queries.
Flight Cancellation by a Customer Flying to a Coronavirus Risk Area
The eligibility for a refund for a flight to a coronavirus risk area canceled by the customer depends both on the current instructions from the customer’s government, and the general conditions of the particular flight and airline.
On flights to areas where there is a health advisory, but the airline is still flying, there is a possibility to get a free change of date or ticket refund, depending on airline policies and decisions.
If the flight is to an area with no health advisory, the customer is likely to only get back the flight taxes back from the airline. Additional coverage might be available from the customer’s travel insurance.
