Vietnamese airlines have announced refunds and airfares exchange amid the serious evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic in many localities preventing people from traveling by air.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will deploy the policy to support ticket exchange and refund from May 10.

Accordingly, passengers holding tickets with validity from May 1 to 31, 2021 (except for Economy Class tickets) are allowed to change the flight date once for free. This policy is applied if passengers could not fly on the ticketed dates and notify the cancellation at least three hours before departure.

Passengers who have booked flights on routes affected by Covid-19 are eligible for ticket refund or get a voucher with value equaling to the price of the ticket if they use the voucher to book tickets later.

Vietnam’s airlines assist passengers with ticket refunds amid Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Duong Ngoc

Passengers will enjoy a refund fee exemption when exchanging from tickets to vouchers, which can be also used for Vietnam Airlines’ other services such as airline tickets, luggage, seat selection and travel upgrades.

The vouchers are valid for one year from the date of issue, Vietnam Airlines said, adding that passengers who do not choose to exchange tickets to vouchers can request a refund with fee and condition exemptions.

Meanwhile, Bamboo Airways will help passengers get ticket refund wired to the reservation account or change flight before December 31, 2021.

For tickets issued by agents, the refund will be transferred to the agent's account within 90 days from the date the agent sent request email to Bamboo Airways.

The airline notes that for passengers in the blocked or isolated areas, the refund will be free of charge. For localities that time for locking down is not specified, Bamboo Airways will assume it is 21 days.

Budget carrier Vietjet has also implemented a plan to support customers with online refunds for flights departing from May 8 to 31, 2021.

If passengers cancel the ticket, the refund will be deposited into the identity reservation account so that they can pay for other flights and other services of Vietjet in the next 365 days with fee of VND200,000 (US$8.74) per passenger for a flight (VAT not included).

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has urged airlines to strictly observe the Prime Minister’s dispatch on Covid-19 prevention and control as well as measures to repel the spread of the pandemic.

Airport staff must wear face masks and wash their hands regularly. They are also asked to check passengers’ body temperature and disinfect devices and high-risk public areas at airports.

Meanwhile, passengers are required to closely follow health regulations before boarding the plane and during the flights, and keep their masks on the whole trip.