Managers and travel agency workers said that new bookings for airline tickets are currently subject to the usual terms and conditions, including cancellations, modifications and refunds, and bear the applicable fees away from the flexible policies applied by air carriers, after flights were affected by travel restrictions during the spread of a virus. Corona ».
And they explained to «Emirates Today» that if the airline canceled the flight from its side, or if it could not operate it according to the approved schedule and dates, then customers can apply to recover their money, in very specific cases, or to retrieve the ticket in the form of a travel voucher, to use it Later.
They added that in the event the carrier is committed to operating the flight, and the customer is unable to use the ticket, the issues of cancellation, re-reservation, or refund will be addressed, according to the rules that preceded the spread of the virus.
Flexible policies
In detail, the Director General of the Belhasa Tourism Company, Naruz Sarkis, said that the new bookings for airline tickets, which are made during the current period, are subject to the usual conditions of travel, away from the flexible policies pursued by air carriers after the flights were affected by the travel restrictions imposed by the governments during a virus outbreak "Corona", indicating that the customer is obligated to bear all fees and costs, in case he does not use the ticket, or has resorted to adjusting its dates or class, or other modifications.
He explained that if the airline canceled the flight, given that there are new travel restrictions to the departure or arrival destination, then in this case it will resort to subjecting the ticket to the flexible policies that it follows, by giving the customer the option to keep the ticket for a specified period of time, to be used later without conditions Or restrictions.
Resumption
For his part, Yassin Diab, director general of the "Al-Faisal Travel and Tourism" agency, said that some airlines have resumed regular passenger flights to specific destinations, within special conditions and criteria, noting that the travel process during the "Covid-19" epidemic is subject to many Procedures, including reservation of airline tickets and responsibilities of the airline or the operator.
He added that the travel restrictions that the governments began applying months ago with the outbreak of "Corona", are still in force in many destinations around the world, as the passengers are not accepted on trips unless they meet the conditions and criteria specified for entry to the chosen destination, and therefore it is necessary to see Travel developments that change continuously before making new reservations, confirming that the customer bears the civil responsibility to use the flights operated by carriers.
Request a refund
Diab indicated that if the airline canceled the flight from its side, or if it could not operate it according to the approved schedule and dates, then customers can apply to recover their money, pointing out that a very small percentage of companies provide cash redeeming tickets globally.
He added that in the event that this is not possible, the customer can retrieve the ticket in the form of a travel voucher from the airline, for use at a later time within a specified time period according to the conditions determined by the airline.
Diab explained that in the event the carrier is committed to operating the flight, and the customer is not able to use the ticket, the issues of cancellation, re-reservation or refund will be addressed, according to the rules that preceded the spread of the virus within the conditions of transportation issued by the airlines.
Recoverability
In turn, the general manager of the “Asayel Tourism Company”, Riyadh Al-Faisal, said that all tickets for air travel include several conditions, including knowing whether the ticket is refundable or not, or allows the customer to change travel dates without fees, or refunds Funds in full in case of changing travel plans, and therefore it is necessary to know all the rights and obligations that result from buying, canceling or amending airline tickets, adding that the current reservations are subject to the usual conditions.
He stated that the airlines, and in the usual circumstances, provide many categories of prices for tickets, indicating that there are discounted and promotional prices, or those specified in a period of time, whether for pre-booking, or savings prices.
Price category
Al-Faisal indicated that the price category affects the conditions and restrictions that apply to the ticket. Flexible prices provide the traveler with greater possibility to amend data and information or cancel tickets, and recover their value, and the ability to make unlimited changes to reservations. As for the basic prices, they are limited by many conditions, as no It is possible to make a change in the flights, or to amend the data, or in some cases the ticket cannot be canceled if the travel plans change.
He stated that most airlines preferred the option to retain the value of canceled tickets, which were affected by restrictions and suspension decisions due to the spread of the Corona virus, pointing out that at the present time it is preferable to make reservations for flexible price categories, as it allows the customer a great ease in modifying the ticket and making changes to it.
Please wait and be sure
The general manager of Belhasa Tourism, Narrows Sarkis, advised dealers to be patient, and to ascertain travel restrictions and conditions at the point of departure or arrival, including reservation requirements, or other criteria imposed by governments or airlines, pointing out that a large part of Travel responsibilities lie with the dealers themselves, to ensure that the travel conditions apply to them or not.
Companies have confirmed that the customer is obligated to bear all fees and costs, in case he does not use the ticket.