No Refunds, Long Waits, Canceled Rebookings: Travelers Face Airline Policy Chaos
Photo Credit: Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal/SITA SITA
Skift Take
Covid was supposed to give airlines a playbook on how to accommodate customers during a massive disruption. But the war in the Middle East is throwing that playbook into doubt.
The Iran war has put airlines’ customer service policies center stage as Gulf and Asian carriers are struggling with a sudden surge of canceled flights, refund requests, and rebookings.
Thousands of travelers stranded across the Middle East and Asia are now navigating a complex maze of airline fee waivers and customer service policies. Some carriers, including Etihad and Air India, have enacted “rolling waivers,” which apply to limited travel windows and are periodically extended. On the other hand, carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways have blanket waivers for the whole month of March.
But now there are growing concerns that the use of rolling waivers are making it difficult for travelers to either get refunded or rebooked on another flight.
Skift spoke with several travelers who had varying experiences. Some have not been able to receive refunds for any canceled flights, while others have been rebooked multiple times as air
