Mangaluru: Covid infected Gulf flight passengers to get free rescheduling facility

Mangaluru, Jan 19: Covid 19 has been affecting the lives of the people in the world for about two years now. It has also left a lasting impact on the civil aviation business. In the wake of this, the flight operators have been extending different offers. There is dense air traffic between Mangaluru airport and the Gulf region. In the recent past, there have been cases where the passengers were infected after booking the flight tickets or just a few days or hours before the flight departure. In such cases, the passengers are not allowed to travel and they have to book their tickets again. However, the gulf flight operators have found a solution for this. If the passengers are forced to cancel a flight following corona infection, they get facility to reschedule the same on some other day, free of cost.   The flight passengers used to face a double whammy if they tested positive in the RT-PCR test conducted 48 hours before the flight departure or six hours prior at the airport. The passengers used to lose money they spent on the tickets in such cases. Now, the Gulf region flight operators are offering a free rescheduling facility for the passengers who test positive for Covid in the RT-PCR tests before the flight departure. The facility is only for changing the date of the tickets and not applicable in case of cancellation of tickets. The Air India sources in Mangaluru said that the free date change facility is applicable even for the passengers who subject themselves to rapid antigen test conducted at the airport. Two other flight operators too have extended this facility, they stated. This facility was available even in the past. Taking into account the increasing cases of Covid 19, the companies have issued fresh circulars giving details of the current facility. It is learnt that many passengers are getting infected even in the 48-hour period after obtaining negative reports. Passengers going to the Middle East have to get themselves tested 48 hours before leaving, and again six hours before the departure at the airport. Many are aware of the above facility and have used them. But some who do not know of it have canceled their tickets and suffered losses, airline sources stated. When rescheduling the tickets, the passenger need not pay any charges even if the ticket price for the new date is higher and he travels by the same class of travel. But if he prefers a higher class when booking, the price difference will be applicable. In case of refund, cancellation charges will apply. The rescheduling charges are between Rs 200 and 750 whereas cancellation charges begin with a minimum of Rs 2,500.