AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AAAGL) has revealed that it has resolved more than 99% of guest queries and refund requests due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years. The group, which excludes medium to long-haul carrier AirAsia X, has received a total of USD 1.8 billion (about RM7.6 billion) in refunds requested by guests since 2020.
AirAsia Aviation Group CEO Bo Lingam said “Of the total cash refund requested, over 99% has been resolved with only USD 14.66 million (about RM62 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.”
During the pandemic, the airline said it has received an unprecedented volume of queries, averaging around 200,000 daily during the peak period. They have spoken to over 5 million guests since the pandemic started and settled most requests relating to cancelled flights by issuing credit accounts, cash refunds, or flight changes. AirAsia shared they have provided cash refund or credit shell to over three million bookings to date.
For guests who opted for credit accounts instead of cash refunds, the credit shell is processed immediately and valid for up to two years for booking from the date of issuance. If the credit was issued before 30th June 2021, AirAsia has extended the validity period to three years. AirAsia said it thanks the millions of guests who are willing to take their refund in the form of a credit account which is the best way to support their recovery.
AirAsia also shared that 88% of credit accounts that were issued have been utilised with the resumption of domestic flights and reopening of borders in most of their key markets. According to the airline, this signifies a strong appetite and confidence for air travel among the public.
AirAsia has recently launched its new Super Plus annual pass, which provides unlimited free flights within ASEAN with COVID coverage and free deliveries on AirAsia Food for RM639. During the press event, Capital A Group CEO Tony Fernandes said over 90% of refunds have been settled and the remaining will be resolved in the coming months. Meanwhile, AirAsia SuperApp CEO Amanda Woo also shared that the previous RM599 AirAsia ASEAN Unlimited Pass which was offered last year has been extended until June 2022.
It’s worth highlighting that these refund figures are only for bookings made on airlines such as AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia Thailand, and AirAsia Philippines. At the moment, there’s still no update for AirAsia X which has recently gone through a debt restructuring exercise. The airline which operates a larger A330 fleet has recently resumed passenger service with flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney.
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