But these have come under pressure during the coronavirus crisis as airlines understandably struggle with cashflow.Īs my colleague Conor Pope has reported, the Government even lobbied the European Commission to allow consumer rights to be watered down so that airlines and travel companies would be allowed to offer credit notes instead of the cash refunds to which travellers are legally entitled. There are strong consumer protections in place for people whose air travel plans are disrupted. Now these flights, too, have been disrupted. Who was to know back when you booked these September flights that day-to-day living would still be quite so restricted at this time. With people desperate to get some sort of break after the lockdown, there was always a likelihood that ticket prices – like staycation accommodation rates – could jump sharply as demand soared. In the meantime, with September looking like a suitably long way away, you decided to book again, not least because you were concerned that once everyone got their vouchers, there could be a rush on rebooking which could push up the price of tickets. You accepted vouchers on that occasion but, as many people who had booked flights discovered, these took an awful long time to arrive. Ryanair said there they have also seen a spike in the amount of no-shows from passengers scheduled to fly to and from Italy in recent weeks.On the first occasion, flying was clearly impossible as the lockdown meant any leisure travel was barred and most flights were grounded. The airline said they made the decision to cut flights because of a significant drop in Italy bookings between March and April. The reduced flights affect Ireland and several other countries around Europe.
Ryanair, in contrast, announced that were reducing their flights to Italy by up to 25%, for a three week period from March 17 until April 8. If you would like us to check the fare rules on your booking please Message us with the reference,” wrote a representative on Twitter.Ĭustomers can re-book their flight to another day by using the ‘Manage Trip’ section on the Aer Lingus website.Īer Lingus have yet to cancel or cut any flights to Italy or anywhere else in light of the coronavirus outbreak. “This offer does only apply to bookings made from today. If there is a fare difference, it will apply,” the statement read.Ī representative for the airline confirmed that the policy change only applies to flights booked from today (Friday) onwards. “That means that we won’t charge a change fee on any flights booked with us from today onwards. Travelling to Europe? What Italy’s Coronavirus outbreak means for you.
In addition, if the flight you wish to switch to is more expensive, you will have to pay the difference. The change only applies to flights booked from March 6 and any flights already booked will still incur a change fee. “So don’t worry if your travel plans are changing - we’re waiving our change fees to give you choice and flexibility,” said Aer Lingus. The Irish airline announced they were changing their policy so customers would be “able to book with peace of mind”. Aer Lingus say they are no longer going to charge customers to change their flight amid growing coronavirus fears.
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