NEW YORK: US airlines have been ordered to give customers with cancelled flights cash refunds instead of vouchers. The US Department of Transportation stepped in after a flood of complaints from passengers who were being denied cash by the airlines. However, it hasn’t set a fixed timeline for refunds to be issued, saying instead that it will ‘exercise its prosecutorial discretion’ to allow airlines time to process refunds. “The Department is receiving an increasing number of complaints and inquiries from ticketed passengers, including many with non-refundable tickets, who describe having been denied refunds for flights that were cancelled or significantly…
Author: holidayweekly
BRUSELLS: Airlines must reimburse customers for flights cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union Transport Chief said on Wednesday, rejecting calls by carriers to relax European Union rules and allow a European Union-wide waiver of refund obligations. European Union Transport Commissioner Adina Valean also said the parameters could be changed for compliance with a United Nations climate scheme, scheduled to begin in 2021, following so many flight cancellations because of restrictions on movement to contain the novel coronavirus. As airlines seek government support, carriers say refunding hundreds of thousands of tickets will drain them of money. “In order…
GENEVA: The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released a set of recommendations calling for urgent and strong support to help the global tourism sector not only recover from the unprecedented challenge of Covid-19 but to ‘grow back better’. The recommendations are the first output of the Global Tourism Crisis Committee, established by UNWTO with high-level representatives from across the tourism sector and from within the wider United Nations system. Recognising that tourism and transport has been among the hardest hit of all sectors, the recommendations are designed to support governments, the private sector and the international community in navigating the…
ANKARA: Turkey’s national flag carrier airline has announced that it would limit domestic flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. “Domestic flights from Istanbul [Airport] and Ankara [Esenboga Airport] have been limited to some metropolitan cities,” Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi said on Twitter. Eksi added that cargo flights would continue. On Friday, Turkey suspended all international flights as part of its measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. As for domestic transportation, travel between cities is subject to local authorities’ permission. The death toll in Turkey from the novel coronavirus stands at 92. After first appearing in Wuhan, China in…
LONDON: British Airways will temporarily suspend operations at Gatwick Airport in London as travel demand continues to stall in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. International Airlines Group – owner of British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus has already announced huge cuts to services, with the British flag-carrier to focus efforts on Heathrow in the short term. Gatwick itself is currently operating from a single terminal, following a sharp fall in flights. easyJet, a major operator at the south London airport, yesterday said it would suspend all departures for the foreseeable future in response to the crisis in global travel.…
LONDON: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged Middle East governments to support their airlines with regional revenues expected to plunge by almost 40 percent this year as the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) paralyzes global travel. The latest IATA scenario for potential revenue loss by carriers in Africa and the Middle East has reached $23 billion ($19 billion in the Middle East and $4 billion in Africa). That would translate into a drop of industry revenues this year of 32 percent for Africa and 39 percent for the Middle East, home to some of the biggest hubs for…
SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines Ltd said it had secured up to S$19 billion ($13 billion) of funding to help see it through the coronavirus crisis and expand afterward, in a sign of confidence travel demand will eventually return. It is the single biggest financing package announced by an airline since demand plunged because of the pandemic, forcing carriers around the world to ground planes, put staff on unpaid leave and scramble to raise more cash to ensure their survival. American Airlines Group Inc, a much larger carrier, on Thursday evening disclosed it would be eligible for $12 billion of U.S. government…
LONDON: British Airways is expected to announce it will suspend 36,000 staff as the carrier battles the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The airline, which grounded much of its fleet due to the coronavirus crisis, has been negotiating with the Unite union for more than a week. The two sides have reached a broad deal but are yet to sign on some details. The agreement means that up to 80% of BA cabin crew, ground staff, engineers and those working at head office will have their jobs suspended but no staff are expected to be made redundant. The decision will…
NEW DEHLI: The Indian Ministry of Tourism has launched a portal ‘Stranded in India’ to help foreign tourists who are stuck in various parts of the country. “With an aim to extend support to the foreign tourists who are stranded in India, the Ministry of Tourism has come up with a portal to disseminate information regarding the services that can be availed by foreign tourists who are stuck far away from their home land,” said the official release. The portal stranded in india.com consists of information around Covid-19 helpline numbers and call centres that foreign tourists can reach out for…
MIAMI: Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed additional cancellations in light of the coronavirus pandemic. It has cancelled sailings on all ships until May 11 and all Alaska and San Francisco sailings until and including June 30. It has also cancelled all Carnival Radiance sailings through and including November 1 and all Carnival Legend sailings until October 30. It is offering a ‘bonus value’ offer of $600 on board credit per stateroom for customers who rebook.