Alitalia issuing restrictive coronavirus waivers, says #dontstopflying despite travel advisories
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Alitalia isn’t doing much to endear itself to passengers these days.
Italy has been a coronavirus hot spot in Europe, but the Italian flag carrier is being relatively inflexible when it comes to letting travelers rebook their tickets.
The airline will let passengers traveling to airports in Northern Italy whose original travel dates were between Feb. 23 and March 8 rebook their tickets, so long as the new travel begins by March 31, according to Alitalia’s website. That means if you’re planning a vacation in Italy, your trip is only covered if your departure is sometime this weekend.
The CDC has issued a Level 3 warning to avoid nonessential travel to Italy, as well as China, Iran and South Korea.
Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more airline news.
Passengers to and from the U.S. and a few other countries can also reroute their trips to other destinations the airline serves.
In comparison, many U.S. airlines have issued wide-ranging waivers that allow passengers much more flexibility to rebook their travel, even if their destination hasn’t had any identified cases of coronavirus. (Though, even those waivers exclude some existing itineraries.)
Related: The most up-to-date information on U.S. airlines’ coronavirus waivers, cuts and suspensions.
In an interview with TPG on March 4, Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research suggested that airlines are choosing the wrong tactic if they opt for a hard-line approach to rebooking policies amid coronavirus fears, as Alitalia has.
“People are scared, they’re scared to travel, and airlines need to show compassion and humanity to travelers during this very unusual period,” he said. Harteveldt added such compassion is especially important these days, “in the age of social media when anyone can vent their rage.”
Related: Everything you need to know about traveling during the coronavirus outbreak.
As if to prove his point, Alitalia’s Facebook page is practically a case study in online rage-venting.
A video the airline posted March 2 with the caption “Are you sure you want to miss out on all of this? #dontstopflying” has more than 300 comments (including replies), many of which come from irritated customers struggling to rebook their tickets.
Featured photo by Alberto Riva/The Points Guy.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,650
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Plus earn up to $50 in statement credits towards grocery store purchases within your first year of account opening.
- Earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.