(Updated) Airline Coronavirus Flight Cancellation & Change Fee Waivers
Much has changed in the world of Coronavirus flight cancellation and change policies. With the spread of COVID-19 and now the fact some countries are opening their borders, policies on Coronavirus flight cancellation & change fee waivers are continuing to change. In this article, we’ll look at which airlines are waiving fees to change or cancel flights. We’ll also lay out the policies and dates covered by the waiver, as these vary by airline. If you’re worried about your trip and want to know whether you can cancel or change your flights without a hefty penalty, you’re in the right place.
Updated August 5, 2020 – Delta Vacation Vouchers extended
Coronavirus Flight Cancellation & Change Fee Waivers By Airline
Each airline is setting its own policies. Regions they’re covering, dates covered, and other details are not uniform. Additionally, these policies cover tickets issued by that airline. If you booked through Expedia, Kayak, etc., then you’ll need to contact the point of sale, not the airline.Here are the current airlines waiving fees because of Coronavirus / flight cancellations and changes related to it.
Air Asia
Southeast Asia’s popular discount airline, Air Asia has their policy here. Fees are waived for cancellations/refunds if you cannot travel (ex: you can’t enter the country of the destination or your flight is canceled). They’re allowing free changes to push back your flight any time before October 31, 2020. The third option is a voucher valid for 730 days.
- Booking dates covered: prior to April 17, 2020
- Travel dates covered: prior to July 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: October 31, 2020 if changing or voucher expiration date
- Must change or cancel by: 24 hours before flight
Air Canada
The Air Canada policy is here. Change fees are waived one time per ticket, and there are options for vouchers or mileage bonuses. You can receive a voucher for your original fare OR receive Aeroplan miles with a 65% bonus on the conversion rate.
- Booking dates covered: through June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: any travel dates March 1, 2020-June 30, 2021
- New travel completion date: June 30, 2022
- Must change or cancel by: 2 hours before departure
Air France
Updated June 3, Air France allows travelers to amend trips in different ways, and there are also documentation requirements listed on their website. There are 2 policies for changes in effect regarding tickets booked before or after April 22, 2020. Note that they are NOT offering refunds if you choose to cancel.
- Booking dates covered: all, with different rules
- Travel dates covered: all, fare differences apply if your original booking type isn’t available
- New travel completion date: vouchers expire December 31, 2020, fare differences apply if your new travel dates are after December 1, 2020
- Must change or cancel by: day before outbound flight
Air Transat
Canada’s Air Transat is also waiving fees. Additionally, their flights are suspended until June 30, 2020. They will charge any fare difference, if higher. The waiver is valid for one change of dates and/or destination.
- Booking dates covered: all
- Travel dates covered: through June 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2020
- Must change or cancel by: 24 hours before flight
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines’ policy is called their “peace of mind policy”. They will deposit your original payment into a credit for use on a future booking. If the new fare is higher, you’ll pay the difference. Award bookings are specifically mentioned as also covered. If your original flight was non-refundable, you can receive a voucher for future travel.
- Booking dates covered: bookings prior to June 30, 2020 but 2 different time groupings
- Travel dates covered: two groups – older bookings for 2020 travel or newer bookings cover travel through May 2021
- New travel completion date: one year from original travel date
- Must change or cancel by: before original flight date
- Award bookings covered
Alitalia
Alitalia is covering flights extensively, given that they’re based in Italy. Note that their international section specifically excludes Brazil. If the flight is not canceled, the following applies to the one free change policy.
- Booking dates covered: prior to April 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: March 11-September 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: 1 year from original travel date or voucher valid for 1 year
- Must change or cancel by: before outbound flight
American Airlines
American Airlines’ updated policy is found here. It splits the policy into 2 categories: bookings before and after June 30, 2020. One free change is allowed, and fare differences will be charged, if applicable. Note that the route can be changed, as well as the dates.
- Booking dates covered: before or after June 30, 2020 with different rules
- Travel dates covered: now through September 30, 2020 OR any new bookings made before June 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2020 OR 1 year from original booking
- Must change or cancel by: before outbound flight
Austrian Airlines
The Austrian Airlines policy is here. They will resume flight operations on June 15, 2020 after suspending on March 18. All existing bookings and new bookings through August 31, 2020 are covered in this policy. Fare differences, if any, are assessed, and bookings made prior to May 15, 2020 get a 50 euro voucher when rebooking.
- Booking dates covered: through August 31, 2020
- Travel dates covered: now through January 31, 2021
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: before outbound flight
Avianca Airlines
Avianca Airlines’ policy is in the terms here. Fare differences apply only when changing the booking class or routing.
- Booking dates covered: March 4-June 30, 2020 for international flights, March 4-October 31, 2020 for domestic flights
- Travel dates covered: before October 31, 2020 for multiple changes, after October 31 for just 1 change
- New travel completion date: June 30, 2020
- Must change or cancel by: 15 days before outbound flight
Azul
Brazilian airline Azul has their policy here. (Unfortunately, they haven’t posted it anywhere in English.) All prior and new bookings through September have change fees waived. There’s no specified number, but assume it’s only 1 change fee that’s waived. Azul has a $150 cancellation fee PLUS $150 refund (if you choose cash and not a voucher) fee, so I wouldn’t speculatively book with them if you aren’t sure about still taking the trip before the end of September.
- Booking dates covered: all
- Travel dates covered: now through September 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: September 30, 2020
- Must change or cancel by: 24 hours before original departure
British Airways
The British Airways “book with confidence” policy has undergone several updates. They also tell you how to check the status of your flight, along with voucher updates. The special booking period also allows for changing destinations, not just dates.
- Booking dates covered: all bookings, plus special waiver period March 3-July 31, 2020
- Travel dates covered: through July 31, 2020 OR December 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: vouchers valid until April 30, 2022 OR 1 year from original booking date
- Must change or cancel by: prior to flight take-off for original flight
Cabo Verde Airlines TACV
The Cabo Verde Airlines policy is here. After temporarily suspending operations, they are resuming flights on June 1 and waiving fees for changes, as well as offering vouchers. Fare differences may apply. One free change is allowed.
- Booking dates covered: June 1-October 31, 2020 OR
- Travel dates covered: now through December 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: 1 year from original date OR voucher valid for 2 years
- Must change or cancel by: 24 hours prior to travel start date
Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific is offering a Coronavirus flight cancellation and change policy found here. They’re offering unlimited changes (for free) on new bookings and allow for changes online through June 30, 2020. This includes routes and dates. This does not apply to award tickets, however. Fare differences may apply.
- Booking dates covered: March 9-June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: 1 year from purchase
- New travel completion date: 1 year from purchase
- Must change or cancel by: prior to travel start date
Delta Airlines
The Delta Airlines policy is here. They’re waiving change fees & miles redeposit fees through September 30, 2020.
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- Booking dates covered: March 1-June 30, 2020 OR previously-booked travel
- Travel dates covered: through September 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: 1 year from booking date OR eCredits valid through September 30, 2022
- Must change or cancel by: flight departure date
Delta Vacation Vouchers Extension: Vouchers issued for international travel from February 25, 2020 to September 30, 2021 and domestic travel from March 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021 have now been extended through December 31, 2021.
Ethiopian Airlines
The Ethiopian Airlines policy is here. Updated on March 16, the policy applies to all of their flights leaving Ethiopia. All flights through June 30, 2020 are covered for changes without fees, but any increase in fare will be charged.
- Booking dates covered: all issued tickets
- Travel dates covered: March 1-June 30, 2020 PLUS tickets issued before May 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: flight departure date
Finnair
The updated Finnair policy is here. They are waiving change fees on bookings made through August 2020.
- Booking dates covered: through August 31, 2020
- Travel dates covered: all booked in this period
- New travel completion date: 1 year from original ticket date
- Must change or cancel by: 7 days before travel
Flynas
Saudi Arabia’s discount airline Flynas has their policy here. It applies to domestic bookings. 1 free change is permitted, but fare differences may apply.
- Booking dates covered: through June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: May 31-June 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2020, if flight is canceled you receive a 1-year voucher
- Must change or cancel by: before outbound travel
GOL
Brazil’s GOL is waiving change and cancellation fees, as well as cancelling on-board snacks & closing their airport lounges. They have different change fees and policies depending on where you’re flying. Within those, everything is based on flight dates, regardless of purchase date.
- Booking dates covered:varies by destination
- Travel dates covered:varies by destination
- New travel completion date:varies by destination
- Must change or cancel by: varies by destination
Hawaiian Airlines
The Hawaiian Airlines policy is here. As Hawaii has a mandatory 14-day quarantine, these policies build upon that. Fare differences may apply. The newer booking period allows unlimited changes within the 2-year policy.
- Booking dates covered: bookings from March 1-June 30, 2020 OR before March 1, 2020
- Travel dates covered: 2 years from purchase date OR before September 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: 2 years OR May 31, 2022
- Must change or cancel by: 24 hours before flight departure
Iberia
The Iberia policy applies to flights to any flights on Iberia or its subsidiaries. You can rebook and/or reroute onto other flights with Iberia. You can rebook or request a voucher for future travel.
- Booking dates covered: before May 28, 2020
- Travel dates covered: May 28-August 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: before outbound flight date
Icelandair
Iceland’s flag carrier Icelandair has information about changing or cancelling bookings (to receive a 1 year travel voucher). These apply to voluntary changes and cancellations, not cancellations of flights by the airline. Fare differences may apply when changing. Here is the relevant information on changing flight dates without a fee.
- Booking dates covered: up to March 3, 2020
- Travel dates covered: original flights before September 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: September 30, 2021 OR 1 year from original purchase date, whichever is earlier
- Must change or cancel by: 3 days before travel date
Icelandair also allows new bookings to change once without a fee. This applies to new bookings made up through September 30, 2020 with travel before September 30, 2021. One free change is allowed, but fare differences will apply.
IndiGo
Low-cost airline IndiGo is based in India, and the policy is here. The policy covers all bookings, including voluntary and involuntary changes. Fare differences may apply for elective changes.
- Booking dates covered: bookings through September 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: through September 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: September 30, 2020 for elective changes, 1 year voucher validity for canceled flights
- Must change or cancel by: 3 days before travel date
JetBlue
JetBlue’s policy on a Coronavirus flight cancellation or change of ticket can be found here. New bookings through June 30, 2020 have waived change/cancel fees, but fare differences may apply. These changes receive a 24-month voucher, not refunds.
- Booking dates covered: through June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: all
- New travel completion date: voucher expires in 2 years
- Must change or cancel by: before departure of outbound flight
Kenya Airways
Until further notice, international flights on Kenya Airways are suspended. Flights should resume after July 7, 2020. Fare differences apply if higher; lower fares will not result in a refund. 2 changes are allowed. Non-refundable tickets will receive a voucher.
- Booking dates covered: prior to May 31, 2020
- Travel dates covered: now through September 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: June 30, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: before outbound flight
KLM
Netherlands’ KLM updated their policy on June 3. They are allowing for changes in dates and destinations. Note that separate policies apply for different countries. This is the USA-based policy.
- Booking dates covered: April 21 and before OR April 22, 2020 and after
- Travel dates covered: flights before August 31, 2020 OR any flights booked after April 22, 2020
- New travel completion date: fare difference only after December 1,2020, new travel completion is June 15, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: 24 hours before flight
Lufthansa
The Lufthansa policy has changed multiple times. 2 separate time periods are outlined in their policy: before May 15, 2020 and May 16-June 30, 2020. For the earlier booking period, if you reschedule prior to August 31, 2020 for a flight within 2020, you will receive a 50 euro voucher.
- Booking dates covered: before May 15 OR May 16-June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: any travel from these booking periods
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: original flight date
Norwegian Air
The Norwegian Air policy is here. If you choose to cancel, you can receive a voucher that doesn’t expire. Here are the policies for those changing their tickets, not canceling. 1 change is permitted, fare differences apply, and destinations can be changed.
- Booking dates covered: through July 31, 2020
- Travel dates covered: through November 30, 2020
- New travel completion date: March 27, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: outbound flight departure
Oman Air
The Oman Air policy is here. Change fees are waived for up to 2 changes on bookings made March 6-May 31, 2020. Applies to Oman Air-operated flights only.
- Booking dates covered: March 6-May 31, 2020
- Travel dates covered: March 6-October 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: October 31, 2020
- Must change or cancel by: outbound flight departure
Porter Airlines
Toronto’s regional airline Porter Airlines has their Coronavirus flight cancellation policy here. After suspending services, they will resume on July 29, 2020. 1 change is allowed. Cancellations will receive a voucher.
- Booking dates covered: through July 29, 2020
- Travel dates covered: one year from booking date
- New travel completion date: one year from booking date
- Must change or cancel by: 24 hours before outbound flight departure
Qantas
Australia’s Qantas updated their policy on June 5, 2020. Their policy divides tickets into 2 groups: flights before and after October 31, 2020.
- Booking dates covered: the 2 categories
- Travel dates covered: August 1-October 31, 2020 OR after October 31, 2020 normal rules apply
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: outbound flight date
Qatar Airways
The Qatar Airways policy can be found here. You can make a free date change and destination change within 5,000 miles. The other option is a 2-year voucher or Qmiles +10% as a refund.
- Booking dates covered: any booking dates with travel dates covered
- Travel dates covered: now through December 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2020 or future bookings via the voucher
- Must change or cancel by: 3 days prior to travel
SAS
Scandinavian airline SAS updated its policy on June 9, 2020. Change fees are waived, but fare differences may apply. Change fees are waived on new bookings March 5-June 30,2020. Options for existing bookings are a 1-year voucher or the following change rules.
- Booking dates covered: before March 4, 2020
- Travel dates covered: before August 17, 2020
- New travel completion date: August 17, 2020
- Must change or cancel by: original flight date
Singapore Airlines & Silk Air
The Singapore Airlines policy on coronavirus flight cancellation and/or change is found here. it has been updated numerous times. The latest iteration still charges fare difference after the change, if applicable. Singapore Airlines has a step-by-step calculator to understand your options based on booking and flight dates.
They also have bonus cash options when taking a voucher in lieu of a refund. Additionally, March 5-August 31, 2020 bookings allow for free changes.
Southwest Airlines
Remember that Southwest never charges change fees. If you need or want to change, you can do so at any time. Changes must be completed more than 10 minutes before your flight departs.
Swiss Air Lines
The Swiss policy is found here. As part of Lufthansa group, their policies are the same.
2 separate time periods are outlined in their policy: before May 15, 2020 and May 16-June 30, 2020. For the earlier booking period, if you reschedule prior to August 31, 2020 for a flight within 2020, you will receive a 50 euro voucher.
- Booking dates covered: before May 15 OR May 16-June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: any travel from these booking periods
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: original flight date
TAP Portugal
Portugal’s TAP has their policy here. The policy has a limited time frame for the 1 free change, which looks like they’re trying to limit the number of changes they need to handle. If the deadline arrives and the COVID-19 situation hasn’t improved, expect a new extension of a few months. In addition to the standard terms, note that fare differences will apply, and you must request a full 21 days before the flight. If you can’t meet or don’t like these terms, request a voucher for the value of your ticket.
- Booking dates covered: July 1-August 31, 2020
- Travel dates covered: July 1-October 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: June 30, 2021 OR end of ticket validity (typically 1 year from purchase), whichever is sooner
- Must change or cancel by: 21 days before the first flight
Turkish Airlines
The Turkish Airlines policy is here. They allow for 1 free change to your ticket or for receiving an ‘open ticket’ to use in the future. The new ticket must go to the same region. There are NO fare differences applied if booking in the same class.
- Booking dates covered: prior to March 20, 2020
- Travel dates covered: through December 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2021
- Must change or cancel by: 1 hour before outbound flight
United Airlines
United Airlines’ policy can be seen here. Their policy divides itself into tickets booked before or after March 2, 2020. Any vouchers received have a validity of 2 years.
- Booking dates covered: before March 2, 2020 OR March 3-June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: all in those booking periods
- New travel completion date: 2 years from booking date OR 1 year from booking date
- Must change or cancel by: before outbound flight
Additionally, United has separate policies for award tickets. For travel before June 30, 2020, change/redeposit fees are waived. For flights July 1-December 31, 2020, changes/cancelations done 30 days in advance have no fees.
Virgin Atlantic
As seen here, Virgin Atlantic allows for rebooking up to September 30, 2022. Their policy on Coronavirus flight cancellations and changes also allows for rerouting to a new destination without a change fee or fare difference, as long as your travel is before November 30, 2020.
- Booking dates covered: on or before March 20 OR March 21 and after
- Travel dates covered: before September 30, 2020 OR before December 31, 2020
- New travel completion date: September 30, 2022
- Must change or cancel by: prior to travel date
Vueling
Spain’s low-cast carrier Vueling has their policy here. It applies to all bookings in the special period. Fare differences may apply. 1 free change of dates is possible.
- Booking dates covered: March 10-June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: all from this period
- New travel completion date: December 31, 2020
- Must change or cancel by: 2 hours before take-off
WestJet
Canada’s WestJet Airlines has their policy here. Below is the policy for their flights, which is different from their vacation packages.
- Booking dates covered: prior to March 3 OR March 3-June 30, 2020
- Travel dates covered: March 3-January 31, 2021 OR through March 12, 2021
- New travel completion date: not specified
- Must change or cancel by: 2 hours prior to original departure OR 24 hours before
Other Coronavirus Flight Cancellation Details
If the airline cancels your flight, not you choosing to cancel, this changes things. While the above policies are nice for those wanting to change, if your flights are canceled you should be able to ask for a refund (though some airlines are fighting customers over this). The airline will offer you rebooking on another flight. However, you can ask for cancellation / refund if the airline cancels your original flight and changes your schedule significantly. Policies on this vary by airline, but don’t be afraid to ask for a refund if the airline cancels your original flight and wants to change your itinerary.
Final Thoughts
The COVID-19 situation is growing and evolving. As things change, we will work to keep this article updated. If you’re thinking about changing your travel plans because of health concerns, it’s helpful to know that many airlines now have Coronavirus flight cancellation & change fee waivers. This can save you significant money, depending on the particular airline and its fees.
It’s not just airlines offering change fee waivers. Amtrak is allowing changes to reservations for no fee. Hyatt is extending status and free night awards related to travelers affected by Coronavirus. If you’re wondering whether you’ll pay for changes related to a Coronavirus flight cancellation, I hope this information helps.
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Do you have information on TAP airlines?
Mark – updated now. Their policy is…junk. If your flight is canceled, you have the right to a refund. If you’re choosing to change/cancel, then you’ve got voucher vs rebooking options.
How about Iceland Air?
Kerry – just added it now. Hope it helps!
[…] Updated Flight Fees And Waivers: We are in typical vacation season and many of us had trips planned for the summer, yet this pandemic could be affecting those trips. Here’s what you need to know about flight cancellation and change fees. […]
Is. Avianca. Giving. Refunds. On. A. Ticket. On. Purchased. Over. The. Phone. Directly. N. Spoke. Directly. To. Avianca….but. I. Purchased. The. Ticket. For. A. Friend. Going. To. El. Salvador. May. 3…..n. Now. I. Want. A. Full. Refund. Back. Because. He. Stopped. Talking. To. Me
As of now, they’re not offering “no fee” on refunds, just changes. But you’d need a name change on the ticket to use it yourself. It sounds like you’ll pay a fee for this, but maybe the flight will be cancelled, which gives you the legal right to a full refund. That’s probably your best option — wait for it to be cancelled.
You can add Ethiopian Airlines as well. I was supposed to fly with them to South Sudan but cannot now (S Sudan is not receiving Asian, Americans or Europeans)
Added. Thanks, Tim!
Update on SAS here with a March 15 posting date:
https://www.flysas.com/us-en/traffic-information/message/
SAS TEMPORARILY HALT MOST OF THE TRAFFIC
(Published 15MAR20)
Due to the coronavirus and the measures implemented by national authorities, the demand for air travel is essentially non-existent. SAS has therefore decided to put most of its operations on hold, starting Monday March 16 and until necessary prerequisites for commercial air traffic returns.
To support our customers, we will in the next few days do our utmost to uphold a certain level of operation to enable travelers to return from their destinations.
Information regarding the traffic situation and specific flights will be constantly updated on our website. Affected passengers will be notified.
The waiting time at our call centers is extraordinary long. We kindly ask that you only call us if your flight departs within the next 3 days.
CANCELED FLIGHTS
You can now find information regarding canceled flights on the link below. Please note that we might add flights to the list, and we advise our travelers to keep updated. All affected passengers will be notified. Dates available until 28 March 2020 (Included)
Thanks for sharing that!
Is there any news about Vueling air we booked through Omio app and they have no messages about the status. We’ve cancelled our 30 year anniversary trip to Paris due to this virus!
If you booked through Omio, you have to contact Omio. Omio is an OTA/third-party site. If your booking is through them and not directly through the Vueling site, you have to follow Omio’s policies. According to what I just found on Vueling’s site here – https://www.vueling.com/en/flexfly – you can change dates if your travel is in March. Must change by March 27. If the situation continues, Vueling says they’ll extend the waiver. If you booked directly through Vueling, that policy covers you. So now whichever you booked through is who you contact 🙂
Turky airline has updated dated for tickets purchased before March 31, 2020, for flights taking place up to December 31, 2020.
https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-us/zero-change-fee/
I’ve updated the new terms. Thanks.
Info here on AA is not correct … they will honor any purchased ticket refunds or credits for trips booked before March 1st … per email and video message I rec’d 3/14 from their CEO.
Thanks for that. They created a new page instead of updating the old policy, so I didn’t notice. It’s updated now.
[…] A lot of airlines are offering special policies for flight changes. Familiarize yourself with those if you have flights booked. Find a breakdown of airlines waiving rees for changes and cancellations due to coronavirus here. […]
Ryan,
Above you say “Note that they are waiving fare differences if your changes include the same routes and fare class. If you change your starting or ending points, the change fees are waived but a difference in fare will apply”. Where do you see that?
Following is language copied from UAs website, seems to me that they’re saying that fare differences apply if the new fare is higher, and you lose if your new fare is lower.
“Tickets: For tickets issued March 3 through March 31, 2020, customers will be permitted to change free of charge to a flight of equal or lesser value up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date. If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no fee but must pay the fare difference. If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change for free but no residual value will be given. If the customer decides to cancel their flight, they can retain the value of the ticket to be applied to a new ticket without fee for travel up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date.”
Wow, thanks. I didn’t see that blurb. I had gone from the info in the table, which discusses the affected locations (China, Italy, etc.) but looks like this part you mentioned relates to the “anywhere you book March 3-31” policy. Fare difference is applied differently here. I will update the article. Thanks.