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REQUESTS for refunds or refunds from canceled plane tickets jumped dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making the airline overwhelmed and the process needed even longer.
Travel blogger Trinity is fortunate to be one of the consumers who is not constrained by asking for a refund since the beginning of the pandemic in Indonesia.
“At the end of March I want to go to Sumba, tickets have been purchased from several months before. Once (the corona virus) has begun to enter Indonesia, flights are getting more difficult, immediately submit a refund,” Trinity said in an online discussion on Thursday (6/18).
She was grateful that the refund process only took three weeks without significant obstacles. The author of The Naked Traveler buys tickets through an online travel agency, so the process is done only through an application.
“Fortunately, because it is still in the beginning, if in the back, there are still many queues in return. Trinity’s travel plans for 2020 have been canceled so far,” she said.
Trinity explained the same thing. He realized that it was currently difficult to get refunds in cash, but Trinity chose to see refunds in the form of vouchers from the positive side. Consider it a delayed vacation.
Meanwhile flight observer Gerry Soejatman explained, requests for refund before the pandemic usually only reached one percent of the total ticket purchase. As a result of a pandemic, demand has exploded up to 100 times, making the process much longer.
“There are 120 million passengers a year in Indonesia, the average purchase for the next month. If one percent is refunded, 100,000 refunds are processed every month. Now, almost all have stopped, (refund) 100 times more than before,” explained Gerry.
He added, the main key for consumers who have not received a refund from canceled tickets is to be patient. However, I am reminded to keep monitoring the latest information from travel agents or airlines regarding the refund process.
“Understand that the refund process in a pandemic condition will indeed take far longer than usual. If it’s been a month, don’t insist, ask progress. If it’s been three months there is no news, ask for a good update. But if you are told, just be patient because everything is at a loss,” Gerry noted.
In these conditions, it is very likely that the airline will provide refunds in the form of vouchers which can be exchanged for airline tickets at a later date. Because, forcing yourself to return in the form of cash can actually make the company go bankrupt.
“Don’t expect to get cash, which is important to process. Airlines also should be more open to the public about the challenges of handling refund requests so that consumers can be patient,” he concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
