Qatar Airways has paid more than $ 1.2 billion in refunds to almost 600,000 passengers since March, demonstrating its commitment to honoring its obligations to passengers who needed to change their travel plans due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the context of an unprecedented number of refund requests and the difficulty of entering the most varied countries in the four corners of the world, Qatar Airways has worked hard to process almost all refunds requested since March 2020 (96%). The airline is now processing all new refunds in the original form of payment in less than 30 days.
In addition, the airline has introduced a flexible booking policy that has already become extremely popular with passengers. Qatar Airways tickets are now valid for two years from the date of issue.
Passengers can even choose to change their destination trip free of charge as often as necessary, change their origin to another city within the same country or any other airline destination depending on the number of miles, in this case within a 5,000-mile radius. from the original destination, exchange the ticket for a future travel voucher worth 110% of the original ticket value, or exchange the tickets for Qmiles.
More than a third (36%) of Qatar Airways passengers selected one of these options instead of opting for a refund.
His Excellency, Mr. Abkar All Baker, Chief Executive of Qatar Airways Group, says that “with the impact of COVID-19 on global travel, passengers had to change their plans quickly and it was difficult for them to plan ahead. What they want and deserve is flexibility and confidence, and at Qatar Airways, we hope they find an airline they can trust.
The amount we pay in reimbursements has undoubtedly had a huge impact on our financial results, but it is our duty to do what is right for our customers and business partners and, as an airline, we are strong enough to mitigate the big impact”.
Qatar Airways took a number of important steps so that it could make as many refunds as possible – more than 10,000 a day at the height of the crisis – to passengers who needed to change their plans due to COVID-19.
First, it increased its automation capabilities, which allowed payments to be processed automatically. As well as vouchers, available 72 hours after request.
