Covid-19 - How to find your airline cancellation policy
As the Coronavirus takes flight around the globe, airlines are responding accordingly to make it easier for travellers to rearrange or cancel their travel plans.
We’ve put together a list of all the different major airline changes and links to their policy pages.
Please note: these policies are subject to change without notice. Use the links provided and speak with your airline before making changes to your booking.
TIP: Have patience - Be prepared for long call-hold times as their helplines will be overwhelmed.
Their teams would be working very hard, so please be polite and understand their situation, and you will get a better outcome.
Updated as of March 11, 5pm AEDT.
Qantas
SUMMARY:
Qantas offers a one-time fee-free change to new international flight bookings made between 10 - 31 March 2020, for travel before 30 June 2020, subject to availability. If the value of your rebooked flight is greater than that of your original booking, you’ll need to cover the fare difference. Changes must be made at least 3 days before travel, and travel must commence on or before 30 June 2020.
- Source: Qantas
Virgin Australia
Summary:
Virgin Australia guests with new or existing international bookings for travel from 10 March through to 30 June 2020 have the option to change their flight to a later date and/or to a different destination, without incurring a change fee. Please note, guests will still be required to pay any fare difference or applicable taxes should the same booking class/fare not be available on the date they wish to rebook.
- Source: Virgin Australia
Singapore Air
SUMMARY:
Travel Waiver Policy
Customers travelling to and from Mainland China, Hong Kong,Macau, and South Korea
We will waive cancellation and change fees for customers with tickets issued on or before 4 March 2020 for travel to and from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea from 24 January 2020 to 30 April 2020. The new travel date must commence on or before 31 August 2020.
Customers travelling to and from Japan
We will waive change fees for customers with tickets issued on or before 4 March 2020 for travel to and from Japan from 3 March 2020 to 30 April 2020. The new travel date must commence on or before 31 August 2020.
For cancellations, refunds would be in accordance with fare conditions of the ticket(s) purchased.
Customers travelling to and from India
We will waive change fees for customers with tickets issued on or before 11 March 2020 for travel to and from India, from 11 March 2020 to 30 April 2020. The new travel date must commence on or before 31 August 2020.
- Source: Singapore Air
Emirates
SUMMARY:
Emirates has 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.
- Source: Emirates
Qatar
SUMMARY:
Qatar Airways has launched a new commercial policy to provide customers with maximum flexibility to suit their travel plans. Passengers that have booked or will book flights for travel up to 30 June 2020 will be offered the flexibility to change their travel plans free of charge by altering the dates of their booking or exchanging their ticket for a travel voucher valid for one year. Both changes apply up to three days prior to departure.* This commercial policy is designed to provide Qatar Airways’ passengers with confidence and peace of mind when booking flights in light of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its impact on global travel.
- Source: Qatar
Etihad
SUMMARY:
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is giving travellers peace of mind when making their next booking by allowing one complimentary date or destination change for all flights booked between 8 March and 7 April 2020.
Valid for travel from 22 March 2020, the offer is applicable to all fares including Etihad Guest redemptions and Etihad Holiday bookings. Any fare difference arising from the rebooking/rerouting will be applied.
- Souce: Etihad
Cathay Pacific
SUMMARY:
You can refund your ticket free of charge for these countries/regions that have imposed major travel restrictions. This is the current list of destinations where we offer free refunds, but please note things are changing rapidly. To be eligible for refund, your original ticket must match these dates, click on right. If you’ve booked through a travel agent or third-party website, please contact them directly for changes. We are unable to change travel agent bookings through our Contact Centre.
- Source: Cathay Pacific
Malaysian Airlines
Due to these travel restrictions, Malaysia Airlines passengers who are affected will be entitled to a rebooking or refund under the terms and conditions.
- Source: Malaysian Airlines
AirNZ
SUMMARY:
Air New Zealand is introducing booking change flexibility for all new international bookings ticketed from 5 March to 31 March 2020. Customers who purchase an international ticket between these dates will have any change fee/penalty waived. Any applicable service fee and fare difference will be payable should the same booking class not be available at the time of rebooking. Non-refundable fares will remain non-refundable.Customers purchasing domestic tickets should consider flexidate or flexitime fare should they be concerned about needing to change their travel plans, as these fares allow for great change flexibility.
- Source: AirNZ
United
SUMMARY:
United is waiving change fees for any bookings — domestic and international — made between March 3 and March 31, 2020. The waiver applies to all tickets, all fare types, all destinations, all points-of-sale and all travel dates available for sale.
- Source: United
Delta
SUMMARY:
No Change Fees For All Tickets Purchased Between March 1-31, 2020. Affected Customers: All Tickets issued between March 1, 2020 - March 31, 2020. Impacted Travel Date(s): March 1, 2020 - February 25, 2021. Ticket Can Be Changed One-Time To An Alternate Itinerary. Must Be Re-issued On/Before: February 28, 2021. Rebooked Travel Must Begin No Later Than: February 28, 2021.
- Source: Delta
Alaska Air
SUMMARY:
Alaska Air is offering flexible travel options for new ticket purchases between February 27 and March 31, 2020, for travel through February 28, 2021.
- Change or cancel your ticket and deposit the funds into My Account with no fee.
- A fare difference may apply to your new itinerary.
- Normal fees apply to tickets purchased prior to February 27, 2020.
- Source: Alaska Air
Virgin Atlantic
SUMMARY:
There is currently a no change fee for new bookings made from 04 March 2020 for travel up until 30 September 2020.
- Source: Virgin Atlantic
China Eastern
SUMMARY:
The ticket is allowed to be rescheduled to the same route of China Eastern before June 30, 2020, or the ticket can be refunded through the original purchase channels, free of refund fees. [For tickets issued before 1st February]
- Source: China Easter
China Southern
Summary:
Due to the epidemic of the 2019 Novel coronavirus pneumonia, some countries and regions have new travel restriction policies. To protect the passengers' interests and facilitate travel agents to process tickets, China Southern Airlines would like to provide following special procedure for handling applicable tickets.
- Source: China Southern
Philippine Airlines
SUMMARY:
Passengers whose flights to/from South Korea were affected by the cancellations and those banned for travel may rebook, reroute, or refund their confirmed tickets without penalties on or before March 28, 2020. Rebooking and rerouting passengers must choose a new travel date that falls on or before June 30, 2020.
- Source: Philippine Air
Japan Airlines
Summary:
Special handling for tickets regarding the Novel Coronavirus apply.
- Source: Japan Airlines
ANA
SUMMARY:
If you request change or refund of reserved tickets for the affected flights as well as tickets for itineraries related to the reserved tickets (including award tickets), we will accept change (transfer) or refund of reserved flights free of charge regardless of the actual operation.
- Source: ANA
American Airlines
Summary:
Book a new trip by March 31, 2020 and there is no change fee if your travel plans change. If you visited mainland China or Iran in the last 14 days and plan to enter the US, there are new U.S. government entry requirements and restriction.
- Source: AA
British Airways
SUMmary:
British Airways is removing the change fee on all new bookings made from Tuesday 3 March to Monday 16 March 2020. Change your booking to any date in the next 12 months. Also available on flight + hotel and flight + car packages. No hotel change fees apply up to 48 hours before travel unless specified as non-changeable. Any fare difference still applies.
- Source: British Airways
Thai Airways
summary:
With regards to the ongoing coronavirus, several countries have changed their rules for passengers entering the country and have specific restrictions concerning passengers that have been visiting severely affected countries and regions. This affects Swedish citizens, which might be forced to apply for a visa in countries that normally do not demand visa for Swedish citizens and/or will be denied entry. THAI recommends passengers to contact the embassy/consulate at their final destination for further information regarding the country’s specific entry rules. THAI follows the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (UD) and until further notice the tickets terms and condition concerning cancellation and re-booking apply.
- Source: Thai Air
Garuda Indonesia
Summary:
Since February 5, 2020, Garuda Indonesia suspended all flight services following the government’s policy in the wake of the rapid spread of the coronavirus and the global emergency status issued by WHO. Tangerang, 27 Februari 2020 - National Flag Carrier Garuda Indonesia strengthens anticipatory efforts in the wake of coronavirus by spraying disinfectant to all its aircraft, especially those used to serve flights from and to China—the epicenter of the virus' outbreak.
- Sourcce: Guardua
Air Canada
SUMMARY:
Because of the novel coronavirus, we understand that you may want to make alternate travel arrangements. For this reason, Air Canada has implemented a goodwill policy that applies to flights to, from or via certain countries [see link]. For other destinations our normal fare rules, including change policies, apply. If you are scheduled to travel soon to areas where the goodwill policy applies, you can retrieve your booking and change your flight free of charge, subject to availability in the cabin you originally purchased.
- Source: Air Canada
Air China
Summary:
Travellers that purchases their tickets through the China Airlines website can raise a request for ticket refund online. If a ticket was purchased through a travel agent then please contact the original travel agent. China Airlines has produced an FAQ to help answer the most common traveler questions.
- Source: Air China
Vietnam Airlines
summary:
Vietnam government recently announced that the UK and 7 other European countries including Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France and Spain will no longer be exempted from the 15-day visa when entering Vietnam as before. In addition, as requirement of Vietnam government, all passengers, including Vietnamese and foreign citizens, are requested to fill in medical status declaration forms before coming to Vietnam, starting from 06h00 (GMT+7) 07th March, 2020.
- Source: Vietnam Air
EVA Air
Summary:
Starting from February 10th to April 29th, EVA will cut down its cross-strait route network to five destinations in China in compliance with Taiwan government’s epidemic prevention policy.
- Source: Eva Air