Coronavirus impact on airlines and flight cancellations

AirHint hints when to buy cheap Ryanair tickets, predicts price changes and suggests the best fare

The outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19 caused major disruptions in air travel in 2020. Most of the airlines either either grounded all the fleet or cancelled most of the flights. Even the flights which still operate suffer from delays and last minute cancellations.

To guide our customers impacted by flight cancellations we put together the summary of the impact per airline and the flight cancellation options. While generally airlines made their cancellation policies more flexible due to the coronavirus, if a customer can't get a compensation from the airline, there is an option to claim the flight compensation in 2 minutes or any airline .

Europe

Ryanair

On March 25, 2020 Ryanair communicated that over 90% of Ryanair’s aircraft will be ground. Only a few flights departing from the UK and Ireland will remain operational.

For all the cancelled flights, customers can request a refund or change the flight dates. Ryanair refund application form is available online.

easyJet

easyJet cancelled the majority of flights from March 24, 2020. A minimal schedule of essential flights mainly out of London will remain operational. A limited number of rescue fligths will be provided by easyJet from Spain, Portugal, Morocco and a few other countries.

Customers will be contacted directly if their flight is cancelled with the options available.

easyJet launched 2020-2021 winter schedule earlier than usual to gives customers more options to travel later that year.

Wizzair

A number of Wizz Air flights were cancellations, mainly due to government restrictions on entry due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Passengers affected by these cancellations are informed and offered a full refund. One option for the cancellation refund is 120% of the original in the form of WIZZ credit.

Norwegian

Due to the travel restrictions caused by COVID-19, many Norwegian flight were cancelled. All affected customers will receive an SMS or email based on the contact information. Customers whose flights were cancelled and they don’t want to travel can request a refund. Those who choose the refund in CashPoints can get an extra 20% for the next trip.

Jet2

Jet2 suspended all flights and holidays departing from the UK until 30 April 2020. They plan to resume from 1 May 2020 (to be confirmed). Affected customers can receive a full refund.

Flybe

Flybe have been grounded all flights and the UK business has ceased trading as of March 5.

North America

United Airlines

Many United flights were cancelled due to the coronavirus and the travel waivers. For travel through May 31, 2020, there are no change fees.

Southwest Airlines

Due to government restrictions on air travel many Southwest flights were cancelled. The list of affected destinations include Cancun, Punta Cana, Aruba, Costa Rica, Hawaii and many others.

All affected customers should receive an email with rebooking options.

Any flights through the end of April can be changed for up to 60 days from the departure date without paying any difference in fare.

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