UK low-cost carrier Easyjet is making renewed efforts to make travel easier for passengers during the pandemic by allowing changes to flight bookings up to two hours before departure. Jenny Southan reports
As part of its new “Protection Promise“, Easyjet is providing more flexibility for flights and holidays by allowing fee-free flight changes on any date and to any destination up to two hours before departure.
Normally passengers would have to pay a “Flight Change Fee” of £49 (per passenger per flight) to change the date or destination of a journey so this is generous (but sensible) of the airline, and something Globetrender would like to see continuing long into the future.
British Airways has also waived its date change fee, although customers will need to pay any difference in fare. For those who want to change the destination, it’s more complicated. The airline has to cancel the booking and issue a voucher, which means flyers have to make another reservation from scratch.
Easyjet also says that any customers whose trip is impacted by a mandatory hotel quarantine, or a lockdown travel ban, will be able to receive a refund for their flights, even if they are still operating.
It adds: “Unlike other airlines, there are no restrictions on dates or destination; customers can transfer to any flights currently on sale up to the end of September 2022.”
A spokesperson for Easyjet told Globetrender: “Our current Protection Promise offer for customers to change their flights this summer without a change fee, at any time up to two hours before departure, applies to changes made before 30 September 2021.
“We are continuing to review our policies after that point. Customers can move to any flight on any route on our network, up to the end of September 2022, and to any other destination on the our network which spans 35 countries across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.”
Easyjet has also partnered with approved testing firms across Europe so that flyers can get access to convenient and affordable testing, including PCR tests, from £60.
In addition, the airline has launched a new travel insurance policy which includes “Covid cover” as standard. The new Covid-19 travel insurance will protect customers who are diagnosed with corona ahead of a trip, providing the necessary rearrangements or refunds, as well as cover to customers for any required medical care during their trip.
Customers who are unable to return home due to being diagnosed with the virus are also covered for additional accommodation, necessary medical assistance, and the cost of returning home safely.
Johan Lundgren, CEO of Easyjet, said in a statement: “We know that people want to travel to see friends and family or to go on a long-awaited holiday but that flexibility continues to be crucial.
“Offering more flexibility than ever before means that more Brits can make plans to travel without having to worry about incurring change fees or the expenses of mandatory restrictions, should their trip be impacted.”