To encourage French customers to travel despite the covid-19 epidemic, certain airlines, cruise lines and the SNCF are implementing commercial measures. In general, travelers will be offered more flexibility, in the hope of curbing the drop in bookings. Overview of what the different carriers offer.
»Read also - Coronavirus: Air France customers can cancel all their flights until May 31
Rail transport
SNCF announced on Monday the possibility of canceling or postponing travel by TGV Ouigo, inOui and Intercités trains free of charge, until the train departs. The measure extends until April 30 and aims to "calmly prepare" a trip that may be canceled or postponed and thus deal with the "feeling of uncertainty in travel plans" , explains the SNCF.
Air Transport
Air France offers passengers to postpone or cancel free of charge all trips booked before March 31 and scheduled between March 3 and May 31. A credit note, non-refundable and valid for one year on all Air France and KLM flights, will be given to the traveler. "So you can book your next trip with confidence, with the guarantee that you can change your reservation free of charge if you wish," explains Air France.
Transavia , the low-cost company of the Air France-KLM group, does not plan any commercial measures. It offers travelers who cannot enter Israel to postpone their flight until October 24, free of charge but with a possible price difference.
Corsair , which serves the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, Africa and North America, offers passengers who bought a ticket before March 31 for a flight scheduled between March 4 and June 30 to postpone their trip or change destination without modification fees, up to 15 days before the initial departure date "to allow its customers to travel in optimal travel conditions and safely" .
EasyJet indicates that "the general conditions applicable to tickets continue to apply" . The company, which has decided to cancel part of its flights to Italy between March 13 and 31 due to a drop in demand, however proposes to transfer passengers to other flights or to reimburse them .
»To read also - Coronavirus: the airlines which reduce their flights in Europe
Cruise passengers
Costa - the world's number one brand in the Carnival sector - offers free cancellation of all cruises for reservations made until May 1. For those booking a cruise, Costa offers a 50% reduction on the second passenger.
Royal Caribbean , an American-Norwegian shipping company, allows its passengers to cancel up to 48 hours before departure, and gives them a “credit” that can be used for another route in 2020 and 2021.
MSC provides, for individual passengers who have booked a Mediterranean cruise for a departure in March and April, the possibility of postponing it for a year in the same geographical area. And for all new reservations made until April 24, the Swiss company requests a deposit of 50 euros, when it was initially 30% of the price of the cruise.
»Read also - Coronavirus: 3 questions to ask yourself before booking your next trip
