Putting customers first, Emirates has updated its COVID-19
travel waiver policies into one simplified approach for rebooking and
refunds on tickets issued in all its global markets.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “The travel and
airline industry have complicated rulebooks for how fares, re-bookings
or refunds are applied, which also differ depending on market
regulation. We understand that explaining and unravelling all of that is
confusing and frustrating for customers.
The COVID-19 pandemic is
unprecedented for everyone, and we’d like to thank our customers and
trade partners for their patience, understanding and support as we
worked through this period to ensure our policies are not only
customer-friendly but also in line with regulatory requirements.
“We sincerely hope that our customers will choose to rebook and fly
with us again at a later time, and that is why we’re offering up to two
years validity on their current tickets, or travel vouchers which can be
redeemed for any Emirates product or service. Any fees for making a
change to the tickets will be waived for tickets issued till 31 May 2020
for travel up to 31 August 2020.
However, if they would still like to
opt for a refund, we will process that. We would just like to seek our
customers’ understanding that refunds will take time as we have a
significant backlog to manage.”
Emirates is offering three options to its customers affected by flight cancellations and travel restrictions:
1 – Keep your ticket: all Emirates tickets booked
before 31 May for travel up to 31 August will be automatically extended
for 760 days. Customers holding such tickets can be assured their
tickets will be honoured, and they can rebook when they decide to
travel.
Whenever they are ready to travel again, within two years from the
day their ticket was originally issued, they simply need to contact
Emirates or their travel agents to reschedule their flight. Their ticket
will be accepted for any flight to the same Emirates destination or to
another city within the same Emirates region with no fees for changes.
Those who wish to rebook their ticket to travel to another region can
also do so – Emirates will not charge reissuance fees, only any
applicable fare difference.
2 – Request a travel voucher: Travel vouchers are
valid for one year from date the voucher was issued, and can be extended
for a second year.
The voucher can be used for any Emirates product or
service, which means customers can use it to offset charges for flights
to any destination in any cabin class, or other services. No change fees
apply to this voucher, so customers will have more flexibility to
reschedule when they are ready to travel again.
3 – Refunds: Customers who have opted to keep their
ticket or opted for a travel voucher can still apply for a refund, if
they are unable to travel. There will be no refund penalties.
Emirates has also made it easy for customers to request these options online through a simple form.
For more information, or to apply for any of the above options, customers can visit emirates.com.
Customers who have booked through their travel agents should contact
their agents for assistance – the same waiver policies will apply.
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