Qatar Airways has refunded over $ 1.2 billion to nearly 600,000 passengers since March due to covid-19 cancellations.
The airline stated that they have switched to the normal 30 days refund policy after finishing process of 96% of the refunds.
In the statement made by Qatar Airways, 36% of passengers selected alternatives such as ticket amendment or 10% bonus travel voucher.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker said:
“With the impact of COVID-19 on global travel, passengers have had to change their plans at short notice and it has been difficult for them to plan ahead with any certainty. What they want and deserve are flexibility and reliability, and in Qatar Airways we hope they find an airline they can trust.
The amount we have paid out in refunds has undoubtedly had an impact on our bottom line, but it is our duty to do the right thing by our customers and trade partners and as an airline we are strong enough to mitigate the impact of this.”
Qatar Airways made over 10,000 refunds per day at the height of the crisis and used GDS system to speed up refund process to travel agents.
