Airlines Urged To Permit Booking Changes Amid Coronavirus

(Alliance News) - Airlines continuing to fly between the UK and northern Italy are being urged to allow cancellations and rebookings.

Consumer group Which? called on carriers to ensure passengers do not lose out if they not longer want to travel.

easyJet PLC and Ryanair Group Holdings PLC are continuing to operate flights between the UK and parts of northern Italy locked down due to the coronavirus, and appear to be sticking to their standard terms and conditions in relation to non-refundable bookings.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is advising against all but essential travel to the areas, but that does not mean passengers are automatically entitled to a refund on air fares.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: "Many passengers may feel they're now in an impossible situation – with the government advising them against all but essential travel to the affected areas in northern Italy, but their airline telling them to go ahead with their journey or face losing their money.

"Passengers with travel insurance should be covered if they cancel under these circumstances, but for those who are uninsured, airlines should do right by their passengers and allow greater flexibility around cancellations and rebooking, rather than leaving people out of pocket for heeding advice from the Foreign Office."

Ryanair will operate a severely reduced schedule to and from parts of northern Italy from Friday.

A spokesman for the airline said: "All affected passengers have received email notices today of these flight cancellations/changes. If passengers have not received an email, then they can expect their flights to operate as originally scheduled."

British Airways, owned by International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, cancelled its flights to and from Milan and Venice on Monday.

source: PA

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