| A message from Tony 12:38 - Apr 11 with 3041 views | horshamHoop |
Like most airlines, doing their utmost to get travellers to accept vouchers instead of refunds. At least 6 countries such as the Netherlands have enforced it by law to protect the likes of KLM. BA to be fair, have been refunding all along but are not making it easy. It is a huge issue as is a fine line between survival and insolvency for the whole industry, airlines, travel companies, hotels,airports and their staff and so on, the list is long. Many like Emirates are only offering a refund 12 months from ticket date or a voucher which can only , at them moment, be used in the same name as the ticket!!
I wish him well Tony well as this will be his biggest test to date and when the industry come back, it is likely to be very different.
A message from Tony
Tony Fernandes
When Kamarudin and I started AirAsia nearly 20 years ago, we had a dream of allowing everyone the opportunity to fly. Sadly, that opportunity has now been taken away from us for now.
It’s an uncertain time. Never could I have imagined it, no one could have predicted it and yet everyone has been touched by it. So I want to be open and transparent with you in this time of uncertainty.
There’s no denying that our industry has been hit hard, and we are no exception. This is possibly the biggest challenge we have ever had to face. We have no revenue coming in, 96% of our fleet is grounded and we still have significant ongoing financial commitments such as fuel suppliers and leasing agents.
We are doing everything possible to reduce costs during this time so we can come back fighting as fast as possible and continue to be the world’s best low cost carrier, enabling everyone the ability to fly with our great value and service.
We are one of the few airlines world over who has kept all of our staff on. AirAsia is a family and there are tens of thousands of Allstars who depend on the business for their livelihoods and the wellbeing of their own families. Kamarudin and I will not be taking a salary during this period and Allstars from across the business have accepted temporary pay reductions of anywhere between 15-75%, depending on seniority, to share the impact this is having on our business. I thank them for their sacrifice and in keeping the big picture in mind as we navigate this together.
In spite of all these challenges, I want to assure you that AirAsia is strong and remains firmly focused on the future and serving you, our guests. I also want to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all of you for your loyalty to AirAsia and I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and well throughout this trying time. I’m truly sorry that many of your travel plans have been affected. Like all airlines, AirAsia had no choice but to cancel a large number of flights due to government restrictions in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.
I know many of you have expressed frustration with not receiving a refund for your flights but I encourage you to accept a credit as a good alternative. More than 80 percent of you have accepted our credit offer and we truly appreciate this. Please know that our policy is in line with many operators in the travel industry and reflects our focus on coming out the other side of this difficult period and flying with you again as soon as possible. We have ensured that we adhere to all regulations and requirements of respective governments and consumer authorities and believe this is the best solution. You are among the over 600 million guests who have flown AirAsia and can’t wait to fly with you again once this is over.
While we strongly encourage you to accept the credit which is instant and comes with a 365-day validity and allows you to change your flight date for an unlimited number of times, we do accept requests for refund on a case by case basis. However, due to the overwhelming number of requests that we have received, it may take a long process of between 12 to 16 weeks.
I also want to acknowledge the comments I’ve seen about our virtual Allstar AVA. Please know that we take your feedback seriously and my team is making improvements to the system daily. Currently, our team and AVA are handling 10 times the normal volume of queries, which is now at about half a million guests on a daily basis.
We are working tirelessly, around the clock, to provide assistance to each and every one of you. We’ve mobilised additional support to our customer happiness team, including 1,800 Allstars from other functions, who have rolled up their sleeves and volunteered to help, so more live agents are available to assist you via our LiveChat, Facebook Messenger, Twitter & WeChat 24/7.
We’ve never had a time like this before and we are doing our best. We are not always perfect but we strive to do all we can for our people and our customers at all times. This is unprecedented but it is also temporary and we will be back, stronger than before, repainting the skies red and making sure everyone can fly again.
Until then…
Stay home. Be safe. And look to the future.
#InThisTogether
Lots of love,
Tony |  | | |  |
| A message from Tony on 13:01 - Apr 11 with 2987 views | ozranger |
There is an interesting piece in the Executive Traveller that someone posted to Facebook today that fits this discussion quite well. I'll post the whole lot so that you can read the two together.
Post-coronavirus, 'normal' travel may not resume until 2023
Business travellers will lead the recovery, but traffic won't be back to 2019-levels until 2023.
By David Flynn , April 8 2020
Share this article:

With airlines around the world reeling from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and the very real risk that some will be unable to survive the effects of the pandemic-led slowdown or shutdown, attention remains focussed on when the industry will recover and how long that recovery will take.
There's no model for this — no modern-times equivalent to draw upon — but according to global travel specialists Atmosphere Research Group, that recovery timeline will slowly stretch out for two full years after COVID-19 is declared as being "under control".
That of course remains the X-factor, and the San Francisco think-tank hasn't defined what this milestone may look like: is it the infection curve being well and truly flattened, or does it mean the arrival and widespread distribution of a vaccine?
However, Atmosphere Research Group concurs with other forecasters and industry executives in that the recovery will be a gradual return rather than a fast bounce-back, and led by domestic travel.
Airlines are likely to rebuild their networks, especially on the international front, beginning with key routes but with a strategic focus on capacity which will favour smaller and more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 over the likes of the double-decker Airbus A380.
Estimated recovery timeline
So how does this play out over the next few years, and who will the airlines be looking to when it comes to filling those aircraft?
For the sake of pegging Atmosphere Research Group's sliding timeline against the calendar, let's assume that the coronavirus is generally declared as being "under control" towards the end of this year.
The first 6-9 months of post-coronavirus travel (mid-late 2021, on our ambit timeline) will see what Atmosphere terms 'tiptoe travellers' venturing out.
Although this group will include some business travellers, it's expected to be primarily personal and leisure-based trips. This 'first to fly' brigade will be "better educated" and be drawn from the highest income groups, suggests Atmosphere, and can be described as "cabin fever escapees'. They'll mainly be setting out on domestic travel but also chalking up some long-range international trips.
Across the 8-16 month mark (through to mid-2022) Atmosphere predicts a wave of what it calls 'pioneers'. This group will be led by business travellers as well as mid-to high-tier frequent flyers, with household income of US$125k and higher, and be venturing out on mainly long-range international flights.
From 12-18 months they'll be joined by a rush of 'fast followers', as the industry sees a 'near-normal volume of business travellers' aligned with strong bookings for the premium cabins of business and first class. Late 2022, then, is when business travel will largely be back to normal, or at least as close to the old normal as the new normal will get.
At 16-24 months after COVID-19 is considered under control (the end of 2022, if COVID-19 is under control by the end of this year), it's time for leisure travellers to return en masse as the industry reaches "80-90% of pre-virus leisure volume", while at 24+ months (2023) Atmosphere expects travel to be "at or above pre-virus traffic". |  | | |
| A message from Tony on 13:54 - Apr 11 with 2896 views | loftboy |
| A message from Tony on 13:01 - Apr 11 by ozranger |
There is an interesting piece in the Executive Traveller that someone posted to Facebook today that fits this discussion quite well. I'll post the whole lot so that you can read the two together.
Post-coronavirus, 'normal' travel may not resume until 2023
Business travellers will lead the recovery, but traffic won't be back to 2019-levels until 2023.
By David Flynn , April 8 2020
Share this article:

With airlines around the world reeling from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and the very real risk that some will be unable to survive the effects of the pandemic-led slowdown or shutdown, attention remains focussed on when the industry will recover and how long that recovery will take.
There's no model for this — no modern-times equivalent to draw upon — but according to global travel specialists Atmosphere Research Group, that recovery timeline will slowly stretch out for two full years after COVID-19 is declared as being "under control".
That of course remains the X-factor, and the San Francisco think-tank hasn't defined what this milestone may look like: is it the infection curve being well and truly flattened, or does it mean the arrival and widespread distribution of a vaccine?
However, Atmosphere Research Group concurs with other forecasters and industry executives in that the recovery will be a gradual return rather than a fast bounce-back, and led by domestic travel.
Airlines are likely to rebuild their networks, especially on the international front, beginning with key routes but with a strategic focus on capacity which will favour smaller and more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 over the likes of the double-decker Airbus A380.
Estimated recovery timeline
So how does this play out over the next few years, and who will the airlines be looking to when it comes to filling those aircraft?
For the sake of pegging Atmosphere Research Group's sliding timeline against the calendar, let's assume that the coronavirus is generally declared as being "under control" towards the end of this year.
The first 6-9 months of post-coronavirus travel (mid-late 2021, on our ambit timeline) will see what Atmosphere terms 'tiptoe travellers' venturing out.
Although this group will include some business travellers, it's expected to be primarily personal and leisure-based trips. This 'first to fly' brigade will be "better educated" and be drawn from the highest income groups, suggests Atmosphere, and can be described as "cabin fever escapees'. They'll mainly be setting out on domestic travel but also chalking up some long-range international trips.
Across the 8-16 month mark (through to mid-2022) Atmosphere predicts a wave of what it calls 'pioneers'. This group will be led by business travellers as well as mid-to high-tier frequent flyers, with household income of US$125k and higher, and be venturing out on mainly long-range international flights.
From 12-18 months they'll be joined by a rush of 'fast followers', as the industry sees a 'near-normal volume of business travellers' aligned with strong bookings for the premium cabins of business and first class. Late 2022, then, is when business travel will largely be back to normal, or at least as close to the old normal as the new normal will get.
At 16-24 months after COVID-19 is considered under control (the end of 2022, if COVID-19 is under control by the end of this year), it's time for leisure travellers to return en masse as the industry reaches "80-90% of pre-virus leisure volume", while at 24+ months (2023) Atmosphere expects travel to be "at or above pre-virus traffic". |
Assuming that eventually borders will be reopened then how will this benefit tour operators if it’s going to take 3 years to get back to normal? Surely a lot of economies are reliant on the tourist trade? |  |
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| A message from Tony on 14:41 - Apr 11 with 2815 views | 1MoreBrightonR |
Guardian also had a good opinion piece today saying that its understandable that the airlines to want to push people to take vouchers, but they need to:
1. have valid date of longer than 12 months
2. be transferable to another person
3. offer some incentive to not take a refund, like 10% extra on the value of the voucher.
My GF was supposed to be going to Columbia yesterday and her airline (AirEuropa) is offering her a voucher valid for 3 months, which is obviously ridiculous. She's willing top help them out, but not if they are trying to be cheeky about it, especially as she's taking a risk not getting a refund when the airline may go bust. Right now, most the vouchers are tied down to a lot of terms. | | | |
| A message from Tony on 23:53 - Apr 11 with 2527 views | thame_hoops |
We were supposed to be in Boston for Easter holidays, a cheap time to go. I’m banking on a voucher that I can use in peak summer when prices are high (more likely 2021) I wonder if they’ll allow me to use it then |  | | |
| A message from Tony on 09:40 - Apr 12 with 2338 views | Hastings_Hoops |
The world will be a very different place after this. It seems that Covid 19 will act as a re-set button for how the entire globe operates (business and non business).
My hunch is that having been forced into using digital means of doing business and realising that in a lot of cases this is perfectly adequate; companies may in fact feel less inclined to send people around the world to meet face-to-face.
I would also imagine that there will be a greater shift to ‘agile working’ as businesses see the benefit of allowing employees flexibility and reduce office space /overheads by reducing desk space.
Covid 19 is an absolute disaster, but hopefully some good can come out of this terrible situation. Maybe the above changes in practice can respond to the climate emergency and (for the U.K.) in response to the London housing crisis as people would be able to spread further out from London and redundant office space can be converted to housing under Permitted Developmnent.
...it’ll certainly impact our reliance on air travel from now on. |  | | |
| A message from Tony on 09:50 - Apr 12 with 2316 views | LythamR |
| A message from Tony on 23:53 - Apr 11 by thame_hoops |
We were supposed to be in Boston for Easter holidays, a cheap time to go. I’m banking on a voucher that I can use in peak summer when prices are high (more likely 2021) I wonder if they’ll allow me to use it then |
I would expect that they would allow you to use the voucher providing you are willing to pay the difference between the voucher value and the actual price of the flight
otherwise i wouldnt bank on it, maybe just cross your fingers |  | | |
| A message from Tony on 10:55 - Apr 12 with 2239 views | The_Beast1976 |
| A message from Tony on 09:40 - Apr 12 by Hastings_Hoops |
The world will be a very different place after this. It seems that Covid 19 will act as a re-set button for how the entire globe operates (business and non business).
My hunch is that having been forced into using digital means of doing business and realising that in a lot of cases this is perfectly adequate; companies may in fact feel less inclined to send people around the world to meet face-to-face.
I would also imagine that there will be a greater shift to ‘agile working’ as businesses see the benefit of allowing employees flexibility and reduce office space /overheads by reducing desk space.
Covid 19 is an absolute disaster, but hopefully some good can come out of this terrible situation. Maybe the above changes in practice can respond to the climate emergency and (for the U.K.) in response to the London housing crisis as people would be able to spread further out from London and redundant office space can be converted to housing under Permitted Developmnent.
...it’ll certainly impact our reliance on air travel from now on. |
This is very true. A re-set was actually required because the reality is that things simply could not continue as they were. It's just a shame that we, as a species, refused to implement a re-set voluntarily in a managed way so that damage could be limited, and it has instead taken a significant and potentially catastrophic force of nature to implement the re-set for us [Post edited 12 Apr 2020 10:56]
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