Etihad to offer refunds

ETIHAD Airways has agreed to offer refunds to all consumers who purchased EY tickets in Australia which were then cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after “recent engagement with the ACCC’s COVID-19 taskforce”.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has welcomed confirmation from the carrier that it will contact all consumers who booked directly with the airline as well as Australian-based travel agents “to inform them that consumers can elect to receive a refund for a cancelled flight, even if they previously accepted a flight credit”.

The ACCC said that from 26 Mar the airline’s published COVID-19 rebooking policy did not provide these consumers with the right to a refund for flights cancelled due to the pandemic - despite clear stipulation in the airline’s conditions of carriage that refunds would be provided in the event flights failed to operate.

The policy was updated on 03 Jun to extend offers of refunds for flights scheduled to depart from Australia, and has now been further revised to cover any Etihad flight purchased locally, regardless of the departure point.

“We are pleased that Etihad is fulfilling its obligations under its conditions of carriage by offering refunds to thousands of Australian customers with cancelled flights,” said ACCC Chair Rod Sims.

“Etihad’s revised policy, and its decision to also offer refunds to consumers who weren’t previously advised of their right to a refund, should serve as a model for other airlines.”

As exclusively revealed by Travel Daily last week (TD 20 Jul) The ACCC recently issued new guidance for the travel industry in relation to COVID-19 cancellations, particularly noting that regulators expect that businesses will honour the terms and conditions of their contracts.

MEANWHILE Etihad has also advised that any travellers flying via Abu Dhabi from 01 Aug will be required to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a list of approved testing facilities.

The test must be carried out within 96 hours prior to arrival in Abu Dhabi, and a negative test result certificate must be shown for approval to board.

A list of approved testing facilities is available online at etihad.com/destinationguide and includes a comprehensive range of providers in Australia.

The pre-flight PCR testing is a new requirement by the UAE government, and is also expected to apply to EK flights via Dubai.