Icelandair Offers Customers Credit

Icelandair Group is getting ready to adopt a new technical solution, enabling the airline to cancel flights scheduled farther ahead than has so far been possible. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Icelandair has only been able to cancel flights at 48 hours’ notice, which has created considerable uncertainty among customers with a booked flight. The new technical solution, which affects individuals, will reduce that uncertainty.

Birna Ósk Einarsdóttir, sales and service manager at Icelandair Group, tells Morgunblaðið that with the new solution, it will be possible to send customers information that their flight has been canceled, and to offer them credit.

“Customers will be able to use their credit once the chance to travel is back to normal,” she states. “This is a simple and automatic system, which many people have called for. The customers receive a code, which they enter the next time they book a flight with Icelandair. At that time, their credit goes toward the payment. In this way, we can offer our customers a fast and safe solution.”

Birna adds that of course customers can also request a refund for canceled flights, but these could take a long time to process. “Yes, you can expect refunds to take much longer than under normal circumstances,” she states.

Instead of only being able to cancel flights at 48-hours’ notice, it will now be possible to cancel them a week ahead. “Then, we will continue looking even further ahead,” Birna states.

When asked whether the same solution will be offered for travel agencies, she states that the agencies have access to a similar technological solution, enabling them to create a credit, and to save and move trips. “We began offering travel agencies this solution before last weekend,” she explains.