With the COVID-19 numbers continuing to fluctuate, United Airlines has announced that they will be extending their flight credits through 2022.
In a news report released by Travel + Leisure, the air carrier revealed that passengers now have until Dec. 31, 2022, to use their flight credits. Any ticket bought between May 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2021, is eligible for this protection.
“United Airlines offers two types of credits — future flight credits and electronic travel certificates. Future flight credits can only be used for travel by the passenger who booked the original trip. Electronic travel certificates, on the other hand, can be transferred to other passengers,” reports the outlet.
While this is certainly good news for travelers on United, questions still remain about other air carriers and how they plan to accommodate their other passengers. According to The New York Times, the failure of other airlines to really be clear about their flight credit policy, especially in the wake of the pandemic, is a pain point for many travelers. What’s more, customers are being subjected to several inconveniences, including long hold times and confusing blackout dates, making them even less likely to book air travel in the future.
That said, United Airlines isn’t the only carrier that is offering extended flight credits to their travelers. In the latest rundown from TravelPulse reveals that other carriers are falling in line, as well.
Delta has a similar flight credit extension available, and their updated policy states that “for additional flexibility, all tickets expiring in 2021 and all-new tickets purchased in 2021 will expire on December 31, 2022.” American Airlines’s policy states that any airline ticket that expired between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, can be rebooked at no additional cost through March 31, 2022. Southwest has a policy that states that passengers can use their tickets up to 12 months after their original purchase date, and JetBlue — who originally wouldn’t extend their flight credits — recently announced on their updated policy page that their passengers can use their unused flight credits until June 2022.