Airlines flying from Singapore that are offering free date change or refunds for tickets due to coronavirus

With Covid-19 being officially declared a global pandemic and showing no sign of abating, it has made travelling for leisure or business extremely sketchy. Thankfully, many airlines have jumped in to alleviate some of the uncertainty by waiving off cancellation and flight rebooking charges.

Carriers such as Scoot, Jetstar and Emirates are offering passengers who plan to travel but yet to purchase their tickets the protection of being able to reschedule their flights without incurring additional charges, subject to terms and conditions. 

Here's a list of some popular airlines that fly from Singapore and their rebooking/cancellation policies.

SCOOT

Scoot announced Monday (March 16) that it will issue travel refund vouchers for bookings made on or before March 15 for travel up to May 31, 2020.

Passengers will have up to 12 months to make their new booking. 

The budget carrier is also offering a one-time free date change for all new bookings made from March 10 to May 14.

If the fare is higher, passengers will have to pay the difference; there will be no refund if the new fare is lower.

For more information, click here.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AND SILKAIR

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will waive ticketing change fees for all SIA and SilkAir tickets issued between March 6, 2020 and March 31, 2020. This new policy will give customers the flexibility to change their travel plans without incurring additional change fees.

The new flight itinerary must be completed by March 31, 2021, but top-ups may still apply for fare differences on the new itinerary. For cancellations, refunds would be in accordance with fare conditions of the tickets purchased.

For more information, click here.

JETSTAR ASIA

Jetstar is offering passengers who made new flight bookings from March 10 to 31 this year the option to make one date and/or time change to each flight without any fee incurred (fare difference will apply).

They can also get a full refund in the form of Jetstar travel voucher valid for six months from the date of issuance.

For existing travel bookings to restricted areas, click here for cancellation and change options.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES

Malaysia's national carrier will be offering free unlimited date change, destination, and booking of an earlier flight on the same day at no extra cost. It will be eligible for new and existing bookings issued on or before March 31, 2020.

Flight rebooking must be made on or before May 31, 2020, for travel on or before Dec 31, 2020.

For more information, click here.

CATHAY PACIFIC

All flights booked between March 9 to April 20, 2020 are eligible for free rebooking for travel until Feb 28, 2021.

If you booked on or before February 4 this year for travel until May 31, 2020 for any ticket to, through or from Hong Kong, you can change your booking with no rebooking or rerouting fees.

You may have to pay a fare difference if your new ticket is more expensive and can choose a new date up till Dec 10, 2020.

For regions that Cathay will be offering free refunds, click here.

JAPAN AIRLINES (JAL)

[[nid:480870]]

All tickets to, from and through Japan issued on or before March 6, 2020 for travel until April 5, 2020 are eligible for rebooking or refund, without any fee incurred.

Passengers with eligible tickets may change departure date only once to another date on or before April 20, 2020.

For more travel alerts for tickets affected by the coronavirus outbreak, click here.

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS

For flights to and from Japan, a one-time change of date is allowed, with travel made before June 30, 2020.

Customers with applicable tickets (issued before Feb 28 with departures from Feb 28 to April 5) may request a refund. Cancellation fees will not apply.

For more information on the handling of flights affected by the coronavirus outbreak, click here.

EMIRATES

Make a booking by March 31 and the airline will waive change fees on all flights.

Refunds and rebookings will be available to customers unable to travel due to travel restrictions and flight cancellations. For tickets to travel up to May 31, rebooking will be allowed till June 30, 2020. Rerouting will be permitted to selected destinations, with applicable fare changes.

For more information, click here.

QATAR AIRWAYS 

From midnight on Wednesday evening, March 18, Qatar banned entry for non-citizens for a period of 14 days.

Hamad International Airport (HIA) will only allow entry to the State of Qatar for Qatari nationals, who will be required to enter quarantine for a period of 14 days. 

Passengers affected by the ruling can re-book their tickets to alternative dates or destinations, or request a full refund without charge. 

If you have already booked or are planning to book your travel up to Sept 30 this year (extended from June 30), you will have the option to change your travel date free of charge up to three days prior to departure, or exchange for a future travel voucher. 

For the full terms and conditions, click here.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

To allow greater flexibility, British Airways will be allowing customers to change their destination, date of travel, or both for free, on all new bookings made from March 3 to May 31, 2020, as well as on existing bookings that depart up to Sunday, May 31, 2020.

Find out more here.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

candicecai@asiaone.com