This article is reviewed regularly by Wego’s editorial team to ensure that the content is up to date & accurate.

Updated August 2022

Airline flight cancellations and delays have been racking up by the thousands again amid booming demand, staff shortages and the holiday season extending in waves into the peak travel season. In such cases, airlines are expected to notify their passengers of any possible flight disruptions.

If you have faced issues with flight cancellations and delays, here’s a quick guide on what you can do to navigate the system.

Airlines refund and cancellation policy 2022

Here’s a list of airlines that have flexible booking policies so that you can have a relaxed and secure trip:

Saudi Airlines (SAUDIA)

Saudi Airlines allows a refund of all first issuance revenue tickets that are issued by one of SAUDIA’s points of sales through some modes of payment, including cash, check, SADAD, Span, Visa or MasterCard are eligible for a refund.

Passengers who have booked their tickets through SAUDIA sales offices, call centres or through SAUDIA website may cancel their bookings through the SAUDIA Sales’ offices or the official SAUDIA website before or during the refund process to avoid a penalty fee.

Passengers can cancel or get a refund for their tickets by submitting a new claim in the ‘Refund‘ section on the SAUDIA website.

To request a ticket refund online:

  • Head to https://www.saudia.com/refund
  • Submit your ticket number and last name.
  • Click on New Request to submit your claim for processing the refund.

You can contact SAUDIA Guest Care Center via WhatsApp on 920022222. If you want to contact Guest Care from outside the KSA, please visit the sales call centres contact page.

For more details on SAUDIA refund and cancellation policy, check out our article below:

Saudi Airlines Refund and Cancellation 2023: Your Complete Guide to Cancelling Flight and Processing the Refund

Emirates Airlines

Emirates offers a full refund as long as it’s within the conditions of your fare conditions. Even if your flight hasn’t been cancelled, you can still request a refund. All eligible tickets can get full refunds. Emirates has extended the validity of tickets and made them more flexible to help with your travel plans.

Getting a refund:

To get a refund on an unused ticket you will first need to cancel the ticket in the ‘Manage your booking section and also complete the ‘Refund Form’. You can only use the refund form if you had purchased your ticket more than 24 months ago. You will need to contact your travel agent to claim a refund for a ticket that was purchased within the last 24 months.

Some tickets might not be refundable once you’ve started your trip. Moreover, you may also be charged a cancellation fee or your refund might be eligible for just a portion of the fare. All Emirates flight tickets have fare conditions attached which determine the rules like whether a ticket is fully refundable or if there are additional charges to make changes to your ticket. Please ensure that you click on ‘Fare conditions’ before you book, or ask your travel agent.

For more details on Emirates refund and cancellation policy, check out our article below:

Emirates Refund and Cancellation 2023: Your Complete Guide to Cancelling Flight and Processing the Refund

 

Air India

Air India offers complete protection of the value of tickets of passengers who had their flights cancelled or were not allowed to travel on the flight.

Air India allows customers to submit a ticket for a refund that has either been partially utilized or totally unutilized within one year after the expiry of the validity of the ticket. The tickets issued will be valid for ‘Refund’ up to fifteen months from the date of issuance or three months from its expiry date.

All air tickets are governed by fare conditions, and they determine the price of the ticket. Depending on the fare conditions, the fares tend to vary. Some of the most common conditions are:

  • Whether the ticket is refundable and the charges related to it
  • Whether the ticket dates/flight can be changed and the charges related to it
  • Whether there are no show charges related to it

Cancel and refund policy:

The cancel and refund options are available for all online bookings created after 25 May 2022 on the Air India website or mobile app (iOS, Android). If such tickets are reissued online, they can be refunded offline by completing the Feedback Form. Alternatively, you can also contact Air India customer support for refund assistance.

For more details on the Air India refund and cancellation policy, check out our article below:

https://blog.wego.com/air-india-refund-and-cancellation/

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways allows its customers to make changes online up to two hours before their scheduled flight. You can use the ‘Manage my Booking’ option on the Etihad Airways website to make changes to your booking. There is no global service fee to use this service.

The changes you can make online depend on the type of ticket you hold and whether you are flying with Etihad Airways or one of their partner airlines.

Cancel and refund policy:

Before you cancel your booking, you must ensure that your ticket is refundable (with or without cancellation fees). Your ticket should have been issued more than 5 days ago and purchased using a single credit card.

All refunds are automatically processed to the same card you use to purchase your ticket and will take around 14 to 30 working days to appear on your card or bank statement. Please note that all refunds are subject to the fare rules of your original ticket. Your bank may also charge you an additional processing fee.

Cancellation fees:

Depending on the route and fare that you’ve booked, you may be charged a fee to change or cancel your flight:

  • You will be subject to additional restrictions if you have booked multiple fares.
  • All refunds will be subject to the fare rules of your original ticket.
  • In case of any changes or cancellations within 96 hours of your flight, you will be liable to an additional 10% fee.
  • You will not be charged a change or refund fee in the unfortunate event of the death of a guest or an immediate family member (official documentation is required).
  • If you miss your flight, you will be subject to a no-show and change fee.

You can also get in touch with the Etihad Contact Centre for assistance with flight cancellation or refunds.

Please refer to the Etihad refund and cancellation policy for further details.

Flydubai

Due to the stormy weather in the UAE these past few days, Flydubai has been encouraging their passengers to check the status of their flights regularly so they could get an early warning just in case their flight got cancelled or rescheduled.

Follow these steps below to check the flight status on Flydubai:

  1. Visit the ‘Manage My Booking’ page
  2. Submit the last name and booking reference.
  3. Click ‘View booking’

Flydubai also has a disruption policy where passengers will be notified by their phone, e-mail, or SMS if their flight got cancelled or changed. Therefore, passengers are obligated to always provide correct contact details to Flydubai or their travel agents. Below, we have gathered the disruption policy of Flydubai.

If, more than 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure, Flydubai:

  • Cancel your flight; or
  • Make a schedule change and
    • your flight is departing early by more than 6 hours; or
    • your flight is departing later by more than 6 hours; or
  • You miss a connection with Flydubai or one of Flydubai’s partner (codeshare and interline) airlines, due to a schedule change made by Flydubai (where the connection is included on the same booking).

You have the option to rebook for free +/- 2 days of your original flight, or to the next scheduled flight and you will not be required to pay a penalty or difference in fare. All refunds (including any unutilised sectors) will be issued in the form of Flydubai vouchers.

If rebooking for more than +/- 2 days of the original flight, no penalty will be payable. However, any difference in the flight fare will need to be paid.

If, within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure, Flydubai:

  • Cancel your flight; or
  • Make a schedule change and
    • your flight is departing early by more than 20 minutes; or
    • your flight is departing later by more than 3 hours; or
  • You miss a connection with Flydubai or one of Flydubai’s partner (codeshare and interline) airlines, due to a schedule change made by Flydubai (where the connection is included on the same booking).

You have the option to rebook for free +/- 2 days of your original flight, or to the next scheduled flight and you will not be required to pay a penalty or difference in fare. All refunds (including any unutilised sectors) will be issued in the form of Flydubai vouchers.

If rebooking for more than +/- 2 days of the original flight, no penalty will be payable. However, any difference in the flight fare will need to be paid.

To check the status of the rebooked flights, follow these steps below:

  1. Visit the ‘Flight cancellations’ page
  2. Input their last name booking reference or passport number.
  3. Click ‘View booking’

What can I do if my flight is cancelled?

*Please check directly with your carrier for cancellation policies as the rules and regulations for each airline may vary.

The flight cancellation policy may vary depending on your airline. If your flight is cancelled, your airlines might re-book you on the next flight available to your destination at no additional cost. However, you typically have the right to choose between any one of the following 3 options:

  • A booking refund
  • A flight re-route or;
  • A return

If you choose not to re-book on that airline, you will be entitled to a full or partial refund, depending on the circumstances. In such a case, you can accept the refund and re-book when it works for you. If your airline does not give you the option to re-book your flight ticket, they will provide you with the price difference between your original ticket and the cost of a new ticket.

To avoid the hassle of flight cancellations, while booking your flight tickets, you can opt for tickets that provide you with more flexibility. The airline of your choice may offer several bookingoptions:

Zero cancellation tickets: Such tickets have no cancellation fee. While booking your ticket, the airline will offer a minimal surcharge with which you can cancel your tickets free of any extra cost.

Flexi-fares: With Flexi Fare tickets, you can reschedule your travel date, pay at a later date and also avail of cancellation refunds.

Refundable tickets: flight tickets can be returned for a refund to your credit or debit card or whichever payment method you have used to pay for your tickets. Some tickets are fully refundable, while others may require an airline service fee to process a refund.

We advise you to check your flight status before heading out in case of any cancellations or changes to your flight. You can also download the airlines’ smartphone app to track your flight and schedule changes easily.

What can I do if my flight is delayed?

*Please check directly with your carrier for rules and regulations concerned with flight delays as the policies and procedures for each airline may vary.

Most airlines are obliged to provide you with a full refund in case of a flight delay and if you choose not to travel. If your flight is delayed at the departure airport by two hours for flight journeys less than 1,500 km long, you have the right to additional assistance.

Passengers who still wish to travel must speak with the airline’s agent to discuss their options. If you have booked with a third party or travel agent, you’ll need to contact that company’s customer service helpdesk to ask for potential compensation. Generally, you will be placed on the next flight with available seats, or you will be offered an indemnity for flights delayed three or more hours, depending on the length of the delay.

Here are a few things you can do in case of a flight delay:

  • Contact your travel agency or airline representative to inquire why the flight was delayed.
  • Check your connecting flight status to know if this delay would affect it.
  • If you have a travel insurance policy, use it to cover your overhead expenses of accommodations, meals, and local transportation during flight delays.
  • Purchase an airline or pay-per-use lounge pass if you plan to be at the airport for a while due to delays.
  • Know the rules for how airlines must compensate their passengers in the event of a flight delay.

Claiming compensation

*Please check directly with your carrier for rules and regulations concerned with claiming compensation as the policies and procedures for each airline may vary.

To avail of compensation in case of a flight delay or cancellation, you must gather all the relevant travel documents and kickstart the reimbursement or refund claim.

Please note that the airline will not have to compensate you if they are not responsible for the delay. For example, if the flight delay was caused by extraordinary occurrences such as union strikes, bad weather, air traffic control restrictions, political or civil unrest, strikes of airport personnel and bird strikes.

Compensation policies may vary depending on how you have made your bookings. Online travel agencies sometimes charge a processing fee, and airlines may have specific terms and conditions in place.

 

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