Qantas has cancelled all international flights until October 24, and its regular pre-COVID-19 international network is unlikely to return until at least July 2021, depending on borders opening and other travel restrictions, according to a statement sent to trade partners.
Michi Messner, Qantas regional manager Africa, told Travel News: “We’ve cancelled all bookings up to and including October 24. Passengers may choose to hold their ticket in credit for travel to be completed by December 31, 2022, or may apply for a refund. For all other bookings held beyond October 24, normal fare rules will apply.”
The airline’s network is reviewed on an ongoing basis and decisions to cancel flights for future travel dates are made in stages, in response to various factors impacting travel. “This means that customers who have booked a flight in late 2020 or 2021 may not know the status of their flight until closer to their travel dates. We understand that this is frustrating, however we don’t want to cancel flights that we may be able to operate,” the statement said.
Once the airline decides to cancel a flight, it will generate the flight cancellation on a customer's booking via the GDS. Commercial policies are continuously updated on Qantas Agency Connect, outlining options available to the customer, including a refund. The airline requests agents to add the customer’s contact details to their booking via an OSI, as it may need to contact the customer via SMS or email using the information in their booking. Alternatively, the customer could choose to cancel their flight subject to fare rules and conditions, the statement said.
