The Dubai-based airline has revealed that over AED 5 billion (circa €1.5 billion) in Covid-19 related travel refunds have been returned to its customers, reports Clodagh Dooley
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER
More than 1.4 million refunds requests have been completed since March, representing 90% of the Emirates backlog. This includes all requests received from customers around the world up until the end of June, save for a few cases which require further manual review.
It’s great to see the airline making steady progress on its commitment to customers to complete pending refunds.
Since the pandemic hit, Emirates has invested additional resources to ramp up its processing capability. The airline also continues to work with industry partners to facilitate refunds for those who have booked their Emirates flights through travel agents, this includes enabling direct refunds processing via global booking systems (GDS).
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, says, “We understand that from our customers’ standpoint, each pending refund request is one too many. We are committed to honouring refunds and are trying our utmost to clear the massive and unprecedented backlog that was caused by the pandemic.
“Most cases are straightforward, and these we will process quickly. But there are cases which will take a bit more time for our customer teams to manually review and complete. We are grateful to our customers for their patience and understanding.”
As global travel markets slowly re-open, Emirates has gradually restarted its passenger operations around the world.
The airline has introduced a series of industry-leading initiatives to provide customers with additional reassurance and confidence when they travel – from biosafety measures, to free Covid-19 medical cover, and flexible booking policies.
Emirates currently offers flights to over 80 cities. Customers can stopover or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, Covid-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving into Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.
Emirates’ booking policies offer customers flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket by 30th September 2020, for travel on or before 30th November 2020, can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they have to change their travel plans due to unexpected flight or travel restrictions relating to Covid-19, or when they book a Flex or Flex Plus fare.
Emirates has also committed to cover Covid-19 related medical expenses, free-of-cost, should customers be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31st October 2020 (first flight to be completed on or before 31st October 2020), and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey.
Well done to Emirates on helping passengers to feel more at ease when travelling!
Visit emirates.com
Clodagh Dooley
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