Easyjet passengers warned of approaching deadline to claim Covid vouchers
EasyJet passengers who faced disruption during the pandemic have just a month left to claim their vouchers.
Many thousands of customers who flew with the budget airline during the pandemic were given vouchers when their flights were cancelled amid the coronavirus lockdowns, which saw the vast bulk of commercial air travel grind to a halt.
Around £58 million worth of these coupons are yet to be redeemed, according to a report from the airline published last month. Those holding onto one have just one month left to use it before it expires on 31 January 2024. These were previously set to expire on 31 July 2023, but the airline extended the deadline to 31 January 2024 earlier this year. So long as you book your replacement journey before that date then you should be fine, as there is no deadline to travel.
Vouchers cannot be swapped for a cash refund at this point, although that was an option available to customers when they first faced disruption. It's also worth noting that flight vouchers can only be used for easyJet flights – you can't use them as payment towards package travel deals with easyJet Holidays.
The vouchers must be redeemed by the end of the month (NurPhoto via Getty Images)EasyJet was not the only airline to use such a scheme. TUI and Jet2 also issued vouchers but the window to use them has now passed. British Airways passengers have until 30 September 2024 to book and complete their travel.
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The impact of travel restrictions implemented by the UK Government and others around the world dealt a huge blow to the airline industry in 2020, 2021 and some of 2022, with effects that continue to be felt today.
In October 2021 BALPA, which represents 80% of the UK's commercial pilots, told the Transport Select Committee how badly the industry had been hit.
"The last 18 months have been the most devastating and challenging in the history of the aviation industry. The sector has seen up to 90% lower passenger levels as a direct result of Covid-19 and passenger confidence remains relatively low," they wrote at the time.
"The UK’s aviation sector has become the sick man of Europe, thanks to conflicting Government rules, and a myriad of different and expensive testing, isolation and vaccine documentation requirements. Our limited recovery to date is significantly behind the rest of Europe: the UK’s airports are at the forefront of the worst affected by Covid.
"Data from September shows that Gatwick, the UK’s second busiest airport pre-Covid, is the worst affected airport in Europe1, currently operating at -76% of traffic compared to 2019,and Manchester is the fourth worst at -56% of 2019 traffic. This is having devastating effects for both the employees and local community along with the UK’s wider air connectivity and industry."
Over the past year the outlook for airlines has been much rosier, with several of the big players announcing large profits and soaring passenger numbers. In June Wizz Air and Ryanair reported further rises in the number of tickets sold. Ryanair said it carried 17 million passengers in May, its highest ever number for a single month.
A spokesperson for Jet2 said: "Jet2.com haven’t issued vouchers since October 2020. From that date, we only issued refunds when bookings were affected by programme changes during the pandemic. Those vouchers had a six-month expiry date to rebook, and if they expired a refund was automatically given. Jet2.com have been repeatedly recognised for the way we issued smooth and speedy refunds and looked after customers during the pandemic."
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