Ryanair and Aer Lingus remove change fees
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Brendan Burgess
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Got this email today from Ryanair. A day late for me as I was due to travel yesterday morning but didn't.
We continue to operate a reduced flight schedule to ensure that those customers who still wish to travel or return home can do so. In the coming weeks we expect that Governments may impose further changes to our flight schedule and any effected customers will be notified by email. We will continue to comply fully with all WHO and EASA guidelines and we will follow any travel restrictions that are imposed.
However, we understand there is uncertainty around travel at this time, so if you currently have a booking with us in March and you would now prefer not to fly then from today (Fri 13 Mar), you can now change your flight online and we will waive the flight change fee. This applies to all existing and new bookings until Tues 31 March. Should there be a difference in fare you’ll need to pay this - however by waiving the change fee, we want to ensure you have more flexibility to change your travel plans.
Where we’ve been required to cancel flights, customers will be able to transfer to an alternative Ryanair flight free of charge or receive a refund.
To change your travel plans, please visit the My Bookings section on Ryanair.com .
We continue to operate a reduced flight schedule to ensure that those customers who still wish to travel or return home can do so. In the coming weeks we expect that Governments may impose further changes to our flight schedule and any effected customers will be notified by email. We will continue to comply fully with all WHO and EASA guidelines and we will follow any travel restrictions that are imposed.
However, we understand there is uncertainty around travel at this time, so if you currently have a booking with us in March and you would now prefer not to fly then from today (Fri 13 Mar), you can now change your flight online and we will waive the flight change fee. This applies to all existing and new bookings until Tues 31 March. Should there be a difference in fare you’ll need to pay this - however by waiving the change fee, we want to ensure you have more flexibility to change your travel plans.
Where we’ve been required to cancel flights, customers will be able to transfer to an alternative Ryanair flight free of charge or receive a refund.
To change your travel plans, please visit the My Bookings section on Ryanair.com .
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Brendan Burgess
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Odyssey
That is great news. Thanks for highlighting it as I had a flight back from Brussels tomorrow and Aer Lingus had not written to me about it. It would not have occurred to me to check
Aer Lingus sent me the usual "Before you fly" email yesterday at 15.40 with no mention that I could change without a fee.
While I have lost €16.99 on my Ryanair flight out, I have changed my Aer Lingus flight back to the end of April at no cost.
The system for making the change on Aer Lingus was very clear.
I presume that if I am still worried about travel at the end of April, I can change it again.
It's odd that Aer Lingus did not email me about this. Ryanair did, but only after the flight had departed.
Brendan
That is great news. Thanks for highlighting it as I had a flight back from Brussels tomorrow and Aer Lingus had not written to me about it. It would not have occurred to me to check
Aer Lingus sent me the usual "Before you fly" email yesterday at 15.40 with no mention that I could change without a fee.
While I have lost €16.99 on my Ryanair flight out, I have changed my Aer Lingus flight back to the end of April at no cost.
The system for making the change on Aer Lingus was very clear.
I presume that if I am still worried about travel at the end of April, I can change it again.
It's odd that Aer Lingus did not email me about this. Ryanair did, but only after the flight had departed.
Brendan
Last edited:
Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,160
I got this email from Aer Lingus today for a flight which I have at the end of April.
Dear Guest,
We know that there’s a lot of uncertainty about travel right now and we understand your concerns.
We’re offering two options if you’re scheduled to fly with us before 31 May.
We look forward to welcoming you on board – when it works for you.
The Aer Lingus Team
Dear Guest,
We know that there’s a lot of uncertainty about travel right now and we understand your concerns.
We’re offering two options if you’re scheduled to fly with us before 31 May.
| 1. | Change your flight without a fee You can change the date of your trip at aerlingus.com. We’ve waived our change fees, but please note that a fare difference may apply. | |
| 2. | Apply for a voucher We’ll send you a voucher for the full value of your flight (including taxes and charges), plus an extra 10%. So if your flight cost at total of €200, we’ll send you a €220 voucher. Terms and Conditions apply. Applying for a voucher is really simple – follow these steps. | |
The Aer Lingus Team
The problem with this email is that the T&C link for the voucher goes through to the EU regulation. So it is unclear how long this voucher will last for and whether you can part use it for a flight costing less than its full value. A rather sloppy communication.
I suppose the other issue is what is the possibility of Aer Lingus going bust? Airlines have a tough environment right now.
IAG are sitting on massive cash reserves, they'll be alright for a while yet. There has been some criticism of many of the larger airlines suggesting they need bailouts when they have been paying large dividends and engaged heavily in buy-backs over the past few years.
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