AirAsia to Fast Track Outstanding Refund Requests

(29 Mar 2022, 11:49 +07)  AirAsia Aviation Group says it has thus far resolved 99.2% of guest queries and refund requests set off by the ongoing COVID19 pandemic.

As one of the world's largest airlines, the group was flying close to 100 million passengers per year pre-COVID and at one time was receiving approximately 200,000 guest queries and refund requests per day, once travel restrictions and related complications started to affect travel plans hardest.

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited said, “We have spoken to over five million guests since the pandemic began and settled the vast majority of requests relating to cancelled flights by issuing credit accounts, cash refunds or flight changes.

AirAsia X A330 and an AirAsia A320 at DMK. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

“Given the sheer volume, this is no mean feat. Across all airlines in AirAsia Aviation Group, we have provided a cash refund or credit shell to over three million bookings to date. In total we received USD1.80 billion in refunds requested by guests since 2020.

“Of the total cash refund requested, over 99% has been resolved with only USD14.66 million or 0.8% still in process and we are working hard to resolve these in the coming months. Now as we are flying again in all of our key markets, we can fast track any outstanding requests as soon as possible. We do our best to keep our guests updated frequently with emails regarding their refund status, and they are also able to check the status of their refund anytime of the day via AVA, our multilingual virtual Allstar ... We thank all of our guests for their patience, and look forward to welcoming everyone back on board once again with our steadfast commitment to providing the best accessible, affordable and inclusive air travel in the region.”

The airline group says that a large majority of customers opted to receive a credit which is processed immediately and valid for up to two years from the date of issuance. Now that travel restrictions are gradually beginning to be scrapped, AirAsia has reported that 88% of credit accounts that were issued have already been utilised, signifying a strong appetite and confidence for air travel.

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