Book Now, Travel Later - What Airlines And Hotels Are Doing During This Epidemic

Once upon a time, travelling used to be easier. Once upon a time, booking a hotel room or a flight was not a tedious process. All you had to do was select a place and decide on the travel date. It was all so easy. That was once upon a time.

And then the coronavirus outbreak hit the world and brought it to a halt. Never before had an epidemic forced people across the globe to stay indoors. It seems something right out of a zombie movie. Unfortunately, it is a reality. One that has impacted almost every aspect of our lives – particularly travel.

The COVID-19 outbreak has put all but essential travel on hold. Authorities have issued advisories and warnings against all kinds of travel. And it is unclear as to exactly when we will be able to start planning our getaways again. The travel industry has been hit severely and this in-turn has impacted other industries such as the hospitality sector. From airlines to hotels to travel agents, everyone is trying to cope and also trying to predict the future of travel in the months to follow.

Book Now, Fly Later

Many airlines are encouraging travellers to book their flights now and travel later by offering cheap flight tickets. According to the airline companies, the ticket prices will shoot up drastically once the lockdown is lifted. Ticket prices are as cheap as Rs 1500 one-way. The deals are pretty great. But it all depends on your flexibility and ability to take risks. You should be aware of what you are getting into and only after that, you should make a decision.

The airlines have also relaxed their cancellation policies. Usually, travellers have to pay a cancellation fee every time they change or cancel a booking. Now some companies are offering free cancellations. Though a lot of other airlines are declining refunds to customers for cancelled tickets, the Deputy General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on April 16 stated that airlines must give a full refund of flight tickets booked during the lockdown. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) too has asked airlines to refund tickets cancelled due to the surprise lockdown. However, the ministry has stated that this is only applicable to passengers who booked after March 25 for travel till its last date of May 3. This directive does not include those passengers who had booked tickets before March 25.

The refund is valid for passengers of both domestic and international flights and has to be processed within three weeks from the date of request of cancellation. Though the government mandate does help a portion of the passengers, it has raised grave concerns for the airline companies. The airlines are not happy about the decision and are still offering vouchers and credits to the customers.

Hotels, Hostels, And Homestays Too Bow Down To COVID-19, Offer Flexibility

From Zostel to Airbnb to Taj Hotels, all the big names are offering flexibility with their customers’ travel plans and are either giving a full refund or travel credits to their customers. In case of Taj Hotels, all its hotels are waiving individual cancellation fee for stays through April 30, 2020. Guests are expected to cancel the booking or contact the hotel authorities at least 24 hours before their stay dates for the waiver. The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, too, have decided to waive off any penalties on reservations till June 30, 2020. As for Zostel, the hostel chain has waived its cancellations fee on all booked accommodations and experiences. They have also offered their guests an option to reschedule their bookings for any dates till December 31, 2020.

Policies You Should Know About

SpiceJet: Though the airline has waived off its cancellation fee for bookings from March 25 - May 3, 2020 and change fee till 31st May, the customers will not get a refund. Instead, a ‘credit shell’ will be created for the same.

GoAir: No cancellation and change fee will be charged for any travel affected by COVID-19 and credits are valid for one year.

Vistara: The company is offering extended validity on existing bookings and the flexibility to change dates and sectors till December 2020 without incurring any change fee. However, flyers will have to pay the difference in ticket prices.

AirBnb: Booking for stays and experiences made on or before March 14, 2020 may be cancelled before check-ins. But this is applied on reservations between 14 March, 2020 and May 31, 2020.

Zostel: The hostel chain has waived its cancellation fee and is processing 100% refunds immediately for any booking made through its website.

Taj Hotels: The hotel giant is not charging an individual cancellation fee for stays through April 30, 2020.

Oberoi Hotels & Resorts: The company is not imposing any penalties on reservations till 30th June, 2020. It has also offered its customers an option to reschedule their bookings for any dates till 31st December 2020.

But Are The Travellers Planning To Travel Anytime Soon?

For Samrith Shanker, an Indian software programmer living just outside Paris, travelling for pleasure doesn’t seem like a possibility in the near future. “Even if we are allowed to travel, how many of us will think twice before sitting in an airplane? A lot. But we cannot put a stop to travel too. It’s a small world after all,” he said. Samrith is one of those travellers who has opted against a refund and instead rescheduled his flight to December 2020 to India. Anand Radhakrishnan from Delhi has bought a hotel voucher and is planning to redeem it sometime at the end of this year. “I want to travel and I know this is not the right time. I don’t think my money has been wasted in buying the voucher. It’s cheap and I know it won’t be this inexpensive after the lockdown lifts,” Anand remarked.

The incentives to book now, travel later are plenty – cheap rates, flexible dates as well as extra benefits. Also, planning for our trips tends to make travellers happy. For whatever reason, if you are planning to buy a travel voucher or flight tickets for some time in the future, it is advisable that you look beyond the price offering and check out the establishment’s policies on refunds, cancellations and rebookings.

Wishing you safe travel in the future!