With nearly half a million refund requests pending to manage, Emirates has taken proactive steps to restructure its backend procedures and boost resourcing to accelerate the processing of refunds.
The airline processed an average of 35 000 refund requests in a month pre lockdown. The airline is now handling 150 000 per month and aims to clear its current backlog by early August.
President of Emirates Airlines Sir Tim Clark described this time as "difficult for all airlines".
"We are dipping into our cash reserves by being proactive in processing refunds, but it is our duty and responsibility. We would like to assure our customers and trade partners that we will honour refunds, and that we are doing our best to speed things up.
“The situation was dynamic in the early weeks of the pandemic, but we have since re-written our Covid-19 waiver policy into a simple, globally-applied approach that puts customers first. We’ve also proactively contacted those of our customers who had submitted earlier requests for refunds or booking changes, to let them know of the new options available to them.
“We sincerely hope that our customers and trade partners will choose to book and fly with Emirates again at a later time. For those who have opted to hold their tickets or exchange it for travel vouchers, we look forward to welcoming you on our flights again soon. Announcements will be made whenever we are able to resume services," said Clark.
Customers who wish to request travel vouchers or refunds can e via an online form on Emirates’ website or contact their travel booking agent for assistance.
Customers who have booked through travel agents should contact their agent for assistance. The same options will apply.
Visit www.emirates.com/ae/english/help/covid-19/ for all their Covid-19 related information.