AirAsia cancels all flights until May 15

Budget carrier AirAsia on Saturday announced the cancellation of all its flights until May 15, after the government extended the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and other 'high-risk' areas in the country.

“Following the Philippine government’s directive of extending the community quarantine period in Luzon and parts of the country, AirAsia is cancelling all domestic and international Z2 flights until 15 May 2020,” AirAsia said.

Likewise, the airline said all affected guests will be promptly notified via email or SMS.

“AirAsia strongly encourages guests to update their contact details using the ‘My Bookings’ feature on airasia.com to ensure that they receive timely notifications.” 

AirAsia is also making provisions for guests affected by the flight cancellations and travel restrictions following the Philippine government’s latest directive.

“Guests with existing flight bookings made on or before 24 April 2020 with a departure date between 23 March and 30 June 2020 will now be able to select from a range of extended flexibility options for future travel,” it said.

Eligible guests can select from the following flexible travel options immediately, using the airline’s AI chatbot AVA on support.airasia.com or airasia.com:

• Unlimited flight change - Change to any new travel date before 31 October 2020 on the same route for an unlimited number of times without any additional cost subject to seat availability
• Credit account - Retain the value of the flight booking in the guest’s AirAsia BIG Member account for future travel with AirAsia to be redeemed within 365 calendar days from the issuance date. The travel date of the new booking can fall on any date within the published flight schedule on airasia.com

“We are experiencing a higher-than-usual volume of queries and requests at this time following the Covid-19 outbreak,” AirAsia said, adding, “We continue to do all we can to best assist any guest affected by a disrupted service during this period and thank them for their patience.”

AirAsia said it understands the urgency of customer queries relating to the current health situation and any changes to their travel plans.

“The company has made it a priority to persistently work with various partner organizations, including banks, to immediately address guests’ concerns,” it said.

AirAsia said it is closely monitoring this situation and reserves the right to announce further policies according to the latest developments. —Ted Cordero/LBG, GMA News