08/11/2020 - 14:12
- Clarín.com
- travels
Although there is still no official confirmation , the coronavirus figures continue to grow in Argentina and there is already speculation that the return of domestic flights will finally not occur on September 1, as planned, but will be postponed for at least 30 or even 60 more days.
"Cabotage flights are going to continue to be restricted, unfortunately," Transport Minister Mario Meoni said during a videoconference organized by the Mediterranean Foundation.
For this reason, the airlines that operate in the cabotage market, although they are still waiting for the official communication from the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), are preparing to have to reschedule the tickets sold for September , in case they are confirm the measurement.
From Aerolineas Argentinas they highlighted that for September they sold less than 5,000 tickets. Photo: Instagram Aerolineas Argentinas
“We are waiting for an official statement. Once that happens, the commercial policy that is being applied will surely be extended , which is established until the end of August ”, indicated from Aerolineas Argentinas.
And they agreed from Flybondi: “The company is waiting for ANAC to make the official announcement about what will happen to the flight situation. An air operation cannot be handled by reports or informal declarations and requires the greatest possible anticipation to be able to manage the commercial, operational and organizational decisions in a prudent and responsible manner ”.
Also Jetsmart was consulted by Clarín, but so far it has not responded.
For his part, Diego Benítez, president of the Argentine Association of Tourism Law, summarized: “If the measure (of postponement of the start of operations) is confirmed; the tickets sold must be reprogrammed , waiting to see what happens with Resolution 144, which determined the return of flights as of September 1 ”.
While attorneys Jessica Sztajn and Marcela Kunca Maganin, from the Air Claims website, indicated that "given the current situation, passengers who purchased tickets from September 1 should contact the airline and request the rescheduling of their flight , reimbursement of what was paid, or agree to a transport voucher that will allow the possibility of traveling at another time, once the flights are resumed. "
No resolution: it is not yet known if the El Palomar airport will continue to operate.
They added that in the event that the passenger cannot establish an agreement on rescheduling, returning or issuing a voucher with the airline or travel agency, they may choose the virtual mediation channel .
"Having finished the extraordinary judicial fair, the pre-judicial mediations have recovered their obligation for the parties, which enables them to be able to carry them out according to current regulations in virtual mode, either by zoom, video call or any other means that is agreed".
Tickets sold and destinations
From Aerolineas Argentinas they confirmed that the sales made by the company for September are "negligible" , since "they represent only 3 percent of the total sales"; Therefore, in the case of the state line, the passengers affected by cancellations in September would be less than 5,000 .
Bariloche, one of the destinations with the most sales for September.
“For its part, the September-November period represents 13 percent of total tickets sold; December to March 54 percent, and the rest from March to June; so September is the month with the fewest reservations ”, confirmed from the company, that in a“ normal ”month (before the pandemic), it transported between 1 and 1.2 million passengers per month.
As for the flights scheduled for September and that could be canceled, the company did not confirm the amount, since it "is permanently modified based on demand."
From Flybondi they indicated that the company had for sale its 17 cabotage routes for September, not the international ones and the Rosario-Puerto Iguazú route, which it expected to resume in November. Regarding the number of tickets sold for next month, they indicated that "due to company policies" they do not provide this information, but that in the campaigns carried out in the last month, most of the customers bought tickets for the summer , although close to 30%, to fly between September and October.
Most of the tickets sold by Flybondi are for the summer.
While in Almundo they highlighted that they prefer to wait for the official decision, with the diagnosis of few sales for September, Paula Cristi, Despegar's general manager for Argentina and Uruguay, agrees. “The vast majority of travelers aim for summer. In fact, during the recent Hot Sale, only 5% of our clients chose September as the date of their next trip, also understanding that people are attentive to the evolution of the health situation to be able to plan with greater peace of mind ",. she indicated.
As for the best-selling destinations for September, both in Despegar and in Airlines stood out the classics: Bariloche, El Calafate, Iguazú, Mendoza, Ushuaia and Salta among them.
And in this regard, he cited a regional study carried out by Despegar, which determined that 18% of Argentines would make their first post-Covid-19 trip within the country between October and November; 17% favor the second half of 2021; and 22% still do not define the times, just waiting to see how the health situation progresses. "What is clear is that the passion for traveling remains intact among Argentines, and that in any case the adoption of health protocols will be key so that we can all do it calmly," he says.
The Perito Moreno glacier, one of the destinations that must continue to wait to receive visitors. Photo: Reuters / Agustín Marcarian
In the event that the suspension of flights is confirmed, the Despegar executive highlights that "one of the main attributes of post-pandemic tourism is the flexibility of reservations, so that travelers can change dates if necessary, without payments Additional features. This is how most airlines and accommodations are offering it ”.
He added that some airlines have already begun to reschedule flights to international destinations scheduled for the first days of September , and that "from Despegar we are attentive to the resolutions of the Government and the airlines in relation to operations."
And he recommended that travelers “be attentive to the notifications within their profile on the website or in the company's app” to verify any changes to their flights. "There they will be able to manage their requests, taking into account that the conditions of changes and returns depend on what the airlines establish for each case."
