Good News – Relaxing of Airline Change fees and Cancellation Policies
Airlines are doing their best to reassure passengers, with coronavirus, which is including changing policies for bookings, so you can alter plans the last minute with no extra charges.
Many are allowing you to change your booking to any date in the next 12 months if you have booked from a certain date in March. However, some are specifying the new travel date must be on or before 31st August 2020.
This information is dynamic and will be updated to help you plan. (Correct as of 14th March 2020) Find out the details for your airline below.
Those that have waived their fees completely so far include those listed below. The dates from which the fees are waived do vary. Some are for all booking, past and future, whereas some are from a set date to a set date. (Other airlines not on this list are mentioned further down with details of their current policies):
- Air France
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- EasyJet
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Frontier Airlines.
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue
- Qantas
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
Air France
Air France is offering passengers with travel booked to any destination to change their reservation at no extra cost for flights booked on and before March 31 2020. This is for reservations to come and bookings already made. You can postpone your trip at no extra cost onto a later flight until 31 May, 2020 included, to the same destination and in the same booking class.
For the latest news from Air France and coronavirus see here
Alaska Airlines
Alaska airlines are offering flexible travel options for new ticket purchases between February 27 and March 31, 2020 for travel through February 28, 2021 for our guests who later decide not to travel because of concerns related to the coronavirus.
Tickets must be changed or canceled prior to the departure of your original flight
Alitalia
The Italian carrier is offering a change fee waiver for travellers with an international ticket. Travelers with tickets for a destination in Northern Italy (Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Milan Bergamo, Bologna, Genoa, Turin, Venice, Verona and Trieste airports), who have purchased Alitalia tickets on international markets within 23 February 2020, with travel dates between 23 February and 8 March 2020, are entitled to re-book their flights without penalty with a new departure date no later than 31 March 2020.
Original travel must have been between 23 February and 8 March 2020, and new travel must be no later than 31 March 2020.
Travelers who have purchased Alitalia tickets in USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Japan and India have also the opportunity of re-routing their travel with Alitalia.
For the latest news from Alitalia and coronavirus see here.
American Airlines
American has extended its offer to waive change fees for customers who purchase travel through March 31. Customers will have even more flexibility since any ticket purchased by March 31 will not incur change fees prior to travel. The offer is available for any of American’s published non-refundable fares.
For the latest news from American Airlines and coronavirus see here.
British Airways
To allow greater flexibility, we are enabling customers to change their destination, date of travel, or both for free, on all new bookings made from Tuesday 3 March to Sunday 31 May 2020, as well as any existing bookings that depart up to Sunday 31 May 2020.
For the latest news from British Airways and coronavirus see here
Easyjet
The health and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.
We would like to reassure customers that our existing policies and procedures are in line with the guidance provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and EASA. We remain in regular contact with the authorities and will amend our procedures if and when required if guidance changes.
We understand the uncertainty many customers may be facing and so any easyJet customers who wish to change their travel plans can now transfer their flights to alternative dates and/or an alternative destination without a change fee. If the new fare is higher customers would only be required to pay the fare difference. This waiver applies to both existing and new bookings until further notice. Customers can make changes to their booking online via the Manage Bookings section on easyJet.com or on the mobile app. Please click here for more information around travel restrictions.
For the latest news from Easyjet and coronavirus see here
Emirates
Emirates is also providing customers across its network added flexibility, choice, and value; with the ability to change their travel dates without change and re-issuance fees. This waiver policy applies to all booked tickets issued on or from 7 March until 31 March 2020. Visit emirates.com for more details on the waiver.
Flights have been suspended to the following destinations (as of 12 March 2020)
Americas
- Fort Lauderdale: 13 to 31 March
- New York JFK – Milan: 11 March to 03 April
- New York EWR – Athens: 13 March to 31 March
Europe
- Venice: From 12 March 03 April
- Milan: From 13 March – 03 April
- Bologna: From 13 March – 03 April
- Rome: From 14 March – 03 April
- Warsaw: From 15 March – 28 March
Far East
- Guangzhou: From 05 February until further notice
- Shanghai: From 05 February until further notice
- Bangkok – Hong Kong: From 9 March – 31 March
Gulf, Middle East
- Kuwait: From 14 March to 31 March
- Tehran: From 26 February until further notice
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: From 09 March until further notice (except special flights from 12-15 March)
Asia
- Sialkot andPeshawar (Pakistan): From 15 March to 31 March, flights to/from Sialkot will be re-routed through Lahore, and flights to/from Peshawar will be rerouted through Islamabad. Affected customers will need to make their own way to rerouted airports and will receive an email with their rebooking details.
FEE WAIVERS
Emirates have implemented fee waivers for changes to bookings made on or before 31 March 2020, and are offering bonus tier miles and reduced tier travel requirement to help Skywards members retain their status. Find out more here.
REFUNDS AND REBOOKING POLICY FOR CUSTOMERS UNABLE TO TRAVEL DUE TO TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS:
- Ticketed to travel until 31st May
- Rebook permitted until 30th June
- Reroute permitted until 30th Jun to selected destinations only. Applicable fare difference if any would apply.
- Travel Vouchers for ticketed value.
- Refund of unutilised tickets
REFUNDS AND REBOOKING POLICY FOR CUSTOMERS IMPACTED DUE TO FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS AND SUSPENSIONS (not including Iran):
- Ticketed for travel until 31st May
- Rebook permitted until 30th June
- Reroute permitted until 30th Jun to selected destinations only. Applicable fare difference if any would apply.
- Travel Vouchers for ticketed value
- Refund of unutilised tickets
Affected customers should contact their travel agent or Emirates office for rebooking options or refunds. To request a refund, customers who booked directly with Emirates can visit the Request refund webpage and add “Refund request due to Coronavirus” in the comments section. Customers who booked with a travel agent must contact them for a refund.
For the latest refund and booking updates for Emirates and coronavirus for some flights see here. All UAE citizens and residents have been advised by authorities not to travel from the UAE until further notice.
Etihad
Etihad has removed the change fee for all booking made before April 7th 2020. UAE citizens and residents have been advised by authorities not to travel from the UAE until further notice.
See the Etihad site for the latest advice.
Frontier Airlines
Customers can make a one-time, fee-free change to existing reservations for travel between March 3 and March 16, with any fare difference applying. There’s also an option to change the origin and/or destination city, and new travel must be completed by June 1 2020. Those wanting to cancel their existing reservation will have the cancel fee waived and receive a credit valid for 90 days. To make a change or cancellation, call 801-401-9000.
Jet2
Jet 2 is no longer flying to Spain as of 14th March 2020. This situation is being updated as this article is being updated. All flights to the mainland, Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands are cancelled as of now because of coronavirus.
The majority of other flights and holiday programme is operating as normal. For information on changes to our holidays and flights programme to Italy, please see below.
For the latest news on Jet2 and coronavirus see here
JetBlue
JetBlue are suspending change and cancellation fees for all JetBlue fares—that includes Blue, Blue Basic, Blue Plus, Blue Extra and Mint—for customers who booked between 2/27/20 and 3/5/20 for travel completed by 6/1/20 and new bookings made between 3/6/20 and 3/31/20 for travel by 9/8/20. If you need to cancel your travel plans, they will credit the amount in the form of a travel credit that’s valid for one year.
For the latest news from JetBlue and coronavirus see here.
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian have adopted flexible ticket change policies for travelers concerned about potential changes to their plans due to the evolving COVID-19 situation. Guests who book any of their flights between March 1-16, 2020 may change their travel to a future date without incurring change fees. Details of Hawaiian’s waiver can be found here.
For the latest news regarding Hawaiian Airlines and coronavirus see here.
Lufthansa
The Lufthansa Group airlines Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti are now introducing more flexible rebooking options. The new extensive waiver policy for rebooking applies to both existing and future bookings worldwide. With this new waiver policy, the Lufthansa Group Airlines are responding to the wish of many customers to help make their travel plans more flexible under the exceptional circumstances caused by the spread of the coronavirus.
Possibility to rebook existing bookings:
The new waiver policy for existing bookings applies worldwide for tickets purchased before 5 March with a travel date up to 30 April 2020. Passengers can rebook to a new date up to 31 December 2020 without any rebooking fee – regardless of condition of the original booking fare purchased.
General rebooking option for future bookings:
With immediate effect and until 31 March 2020, the Lufthansa Group airlines will waive the rebooking fees for all newly booked flights worldwide and offer a one-time rebooking – regardless of condition of the original booking fare purchased. Passengers can in future rebook to a new travel date until 31 December 2020 without rebooking fees.
For the latest news regarding Lufthansa and coronavirus see here
Norwegian Airlines
Waiver of rebooking fee conditions
In light of the travel restrictions due to Covid-19, we are waiving the change fee for the following bookings for travel up to and including 31 August 2020:
All bookings to/from Austria, Italy and USA
All bookings for international flights (excl. within Nordic countries) made between 6 March and 22 March 2020*Changes can only be made to another flight where there is availability within the same ticket type.*Destinations can only be changed to another international flight (excl. flights within the Nordic countries).*The rebooking can be made only once.*The entire journey (incl. return flight) must be completed by 31 August 2020.*Any price difference between the existing flight and the new flight will apply. A refund will not be provided for the price difference if a cheaper fare is selected.*If you have purchased a ticket from a 3rd party or a travel agency, please contact them
Customers can make this change online at My Travels or get in touch with our Customer Care team.
Information on upcoming cancellations
Due to the COVID-19 situation, Norwegian is preparing to cancel approximately 3000 flights between mid-March and mid-June. Please note: At this point we don’t yet have information available on which flights will be affected, but we will be contacting customers directly via SMS and email as soon as we have confirmed notifications.
For more information on Coronavirus updates on Norwegian see here
Qantas
Qantas customers have been offered greater flexibility for new international flight bookings made between 10 and 31 March 2020, for travel commencing by 30 June 2020. If the value of your rebooked flight is greater than that of your original booking, you’ll need to cover the fare difference. Changes are subject to availability, must be made at least three days before travel, and the new journey must commence on or before 30 June 2020.
If you already have an Australian domestic or international booking with us and your travel plans change, find out what options are available here.
For the latest news from Qantas and coronavirus see here.
Ryan Air
Their website states,
RYAN AIR HAVE REMOVED CHANGE FEE!
Flight change fee removed from 13th March until 31st March
Dear customer,
We continue to operate a reduced flight schedule to ensure that those customers who still wish to travel or return home can do so. In the coming weeks we expect that Governments may impose further changes to our flight schedule and any effected customers will be notified by email. We will continue to comply fully with all WHO and EASA guidelines and we will follow any travel restrictions that are imposed.
However, we understand there is uncertainty around travel at this time, so if you currently have a booking with us in March and you would now prefer not to fly then from today (Fri 13 Mar), you can now change your flight online and we will waive the flight change fee. This applies to all existing and new bookings until Tues 31 March. Should there be a difference in fare you’ll need to pay this – however by waiving the change fee, we want to ensure you have more flexibility to change your travel plans.
Where we’ve been required to cancel flights, customers will be able to transfer to an alternative Ryanair flight free of charge or receive a refund.
To change your travel plans, please visit the My Bookings section on Ryanair.com
For the latest news from Ryan Air and coronavirus see here
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines are not currently removing the charge fee for all passengers but this may change as the situation develops. For customers unable to travel due to entry or transit restrictions, we will waive all cancellation and change fees for customers with tickets issued on or before 3 March 2020 for travel on any Singapore Airlines or SilkAir operated flights from 3 March 2020 to 30 April 2020. The new travel date must commence on or before 31 August 2020. More details to be found here.
For the latest news from Singapore airlines and coronavirus see here
Southwest
Southwest Airlines never charges Customers a fee to change or cancel their flight. If a Customer’s plans change, or they decide they no longer want to travel, the funds used to pay for their flight can be applied to future travel – as long as they cancel their flight at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. The funds are valid for future travel up to one year from the original purchase date and must be used by the individual named on the ticket.
For the latest information on Southwest and coronvirus see here
TUI
Holidays to Alicante, Spain between 14 and 16 March
Following local measures put in place by the Spanish Authorities, including closing some hotel facilities and the local bars, restaurants and beaches we have made the difficult decision to cancel holidays due to travel between 14 and 16 March.
Although there is currently no advice from the UK Government against travelling to Spain it would not be the holiday experience we would want for our customers.
Customers due to travel to Alicante between 14th and 16th March will have their holiday automatically cancelled and refunded. There is no need to call us.
Holidays to Orlando Florida
We are aware that Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resort have announced they will be closing between 15 and 31 March.
Any customers due to travel to Florida between those dates who wish to discuss their options should call our customer contact centre.
Holidays to Jamaica
We are aware that the Jamaican authorities have taken the decision not to permit entry to anyone travelling from the UK to Jamaica from 14 March 2020 for 14 days.
Customers due to travel to Jamaica between 14th and 16th March will have their holiday automatically cancelled and refunded. There is no need to call us.
Customers due to travel between 17th and 28th March we will call you to rearrange your holiday or offer a full-refund.
Customers due to travel after 28th March please bear with us as we prioritise customers due to travel in the next two weeks. We would like to thank our customers for their understanding.
Holidays to Cyprus
Due to restrictions introduced by the local authorities in Cyprus, we’re sorry to advise that all holidays to Cyprus departing up to and including 24 March have unfortunately had to be cancelled. We are proactively contacting affected customers departing between 16 and 24 March to find a suitable alternative holiday.
Holidays to Malta
Due to restrictions introduced by the local authorities in Malta, we’re sorry to advise that all holidays to Malta departing up to and including 22 March have unfortunately had to be cancelled. We are proactively contacting affected customers departing between 16 and 22 March to find a suitable alternative holiday.
Holidays to Tunisia
Due to restrictions introduced by the local authorities in Tunisia, we’re sorry to advise that all holidays to Tunisia departing up to and including 22 March have unfortunately had to be cancelled. We are proactively contacting affected customers departing between 16 and 22 March to find a suitable alternative holiday.
Holidays to Italy
We’re aware that the FCO has now changed its travel advice for Italy advised against all but essential travel to Italy and the Italian Government has implemented new internal measures to minimise the spread of Coronavirus which will run up to and including 3rd April.
If you are due to travel between now and 3rd April to Italy a member of our customer services team will contact you directly to discuss your options including an amendment or full refund.
Flights to Goa
We are proactively contacting customers due to travel to India on a TUI Airways flight before the end of April to discuss their options as these flights have been cancelled, including an amendment or a full refund.
Holidays to Sri Lanka
The local authorities in Sri Lanka have implemented restrictions meaning that passengers will no longer be able to apply for a visa on arrival into the country. Therefore, all customers due to travel on a TUI holiday, TUI Tour or Multi-centre holiday to Sri Lanka must secure their visa prior to travel. You can buy one here: http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/
Holidays to Thailand
The local authorities in Thailand have implemented restrictions meaning all customers due to travel on a TUI holiday to Thailand, whether with TUI Airways or a third party airline, will be required to download an AOT Airports app onto their mobile phones and complete the required information such as full name, passport ID, mobile phone number and address. This information will be stored for 14 days and used if state agencies are required to make contact with individuals either during their holiday or afterwards.
All other holiday bookings
Customers can speak with our team on 0800 072 3829 or 0203 336 1993: 9am – 7pm (Monday to Friday), 9am – 6pm (Saturday) and 10am-5pm (Sunday). Please be aware that only this phone number will be able to help you with holiday bookings. Please do not call if you are booked to travel in the next 14 days.
If you are unable to travel due to travel restrictions that are in place for your destination, or for medical reasons you are advised to speak to your holiday insurance company.
At this time, we are receiving a high volume of calls and would like to thank you for your patience as we work through them.
For full information relating to coronavirus please visit the Government website for more information on the risks and advice on the preventative measures. We advise you to keep up to date with Government advice:
For the latest information on TUI and coronavirus see here
United
When you book a flight with United between March 3 and March 31, 2020, you can change it for free over the next 12 months. See terms and conditions
For the latest information on United and coronavirus see here.
Virgin Atlantic
To give you greater peace of mind with your upcoming travel plans, we’ve introduced a flexible no change fees policy
- for bookings made before 12 March, for travel between 1 March and 31 May 2020. Travel can be rebooked between 13 March 2020 and 31 December 2020.
- for bookings made between 4 March and 31 March., travel can be rebooked between 4 March 2020 and 31 December 2020.
This means that if your plans do need to change, you can switch your flight to an alternative date with no penalty. Rebooked flights will be subject to availability and any difference in fare.
You can also choose to re-route on a Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Atlantic Codeshare flight to or from your original destination, or rebook to or from another destination.
Travel must be completed on or before 31 December 2020.
This policy applies to all booking classes (including Economy Light) on all routes in Virgin Atlantic’s international network, and for tickets booked with us on our transatlantic codeshare flights with Delta, Air France and KLM. Your flight number will begin with the letters “VS”. It also includes Flying Club redemption bookings.. For more details see here
For the latest information on Virgin Atlantic and coronavirus see here.