The airline has refunded a large percentage of its customers in just eight weeks and offers customers the confidence to plan and book their travel, writes Shauna McCrudden
Before lockdown, I was due to travel to Italy and am still waiting on a refund from my cancelled holiday! I know millions of other travellers are still in limbo and it’s a difficult time for customers and airlines alike with the pressure of this unprecedented situation. But thankfully Emirates has made sure to respond to its customers in good time.
In the past two months, Emirates has processed nearly 650,000 refund requests. They have returned over AED 1.9 billion (over €450 million) to its customers and are making good on its promise to expedite refunds after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted travel plans for millions of customers around the world.
“This pandemic is a black swan event no-one expected, impacting travellers and hitting the airline and travel industry hard,” says Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer. “These are tough times for everyone, but we are committed to doing what’s right by our customers. That’s why we ringfenced cash to honour refunds, and invested resources to expedite processing.
“Our average processing time for refunds has reduced from 90 days to 60. And as we see lower volumes of new requests, we expect this rate to further improve. We still have over half a million refund requests to manage, but expect to clear these within the next two months. We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and trust, and to those who have opted to hold their ticket or rebooked to travel at a later time – we look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.”
Emirates currently offers travellers flights to over 50 cities, with convenient connections between the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific through its hub in Dubai. Dubai has recently announced that it will re-open to welcome international visitors from 7th July 2020.
With the gradual re-opening of borders over the summer, Emirates has revised its booking policies to offer customers more flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket by 31st July 2020 for travel on or before 30th November 2020, can enjoy fully flexible terms when they book a Flex or Flex Plus fare, or if they have to change their travel plans due to Covid-19 related flight or travel restrictions.
For more information on Emirates’ current flights and services, flexible terms and safety measures, visit www.emirates.com
Shauna McCrudden
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