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(CNN) ––
Cheap airline tickets are about to lose some of the flexibility they gained during the pandemic era.
By the end of March, most of the major US airlines will eliminate exchange rate waivers for the cheapest tickets.
That is, those in the category known as "basic economic" in most of the airlines.
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In the case of the rest of the classes, most of the exchange fees that were suspended at the beginning of the pandemic were permanently eliminated.
This means more flexibility in the future for everyone, unless you opt for the least expensive airline ticket.
Which typically could cost $ 50- $ 60 less compared to the next lowest round-trip fare.
This was pointed out by Scott Keyes, founder of the airfare site Scott's Cheap Flights.
Now, the fare differences continue to be implemented, so you will pay the surplus if the cost of the flight you switched to is higher.
In addition, if you cancel a flight that includes exemptions in exchange rates, you will no longer get a refund, but a fare credit.
Currently, the US is going through a critical point of the pandemic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English) urges to avoid travel.
Even those who are fully vaccinated.
Despite this, Keyes sees certain benefits in reserving future-dated economy tickets now, due to the savings and the added flexibility of free changes.
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“There is a narrow window at the moment, where you can make flight reservations with a pencil, rather than a pen.
Because you can book that flight for the summer and you can change the dates without any penalty, if you don't feel comfortable traveling by then, ”Keyes explained.
It is still possible, he said, for airlines to extend the basic economy fare waiver for another month or two.
Although he hopes that the deadline of the end of March will be kept.
Revised policies on cheap tickets
On Delta Air Lines, basic economy tickets purchased after March 30, 2021 cannot be exchanged or refunded.
Similarly, United Airlines, American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines will not offer free changes to Basic Economy Class tickets issued after March 31.
That's the same deadline for JetBlue.
Starting April 1, Blue Basic tickets can be changed or canceled for a fee of US $ 100 for travel within the US, the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America.
The price for all other routes will be US $ 200.
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Southwest Airlines is the exception, as the airline has never charged change fees.
Now, on most airlines, if you change to a cheaper flight, you will get the difference in the form of travel credit.
However, United Airlines does not offer lower fare credits.
On the other hand, many of the coupons issued by airlines for interrupted trips in March 2020 were expiring this month.
Some companies, including Delta, extended the terms to be able to use these credits.
Keyes encourages anyone with an exemption to review it carefully and discuss the expiration date and its terms.
Also what the credit and customer service number can be used for.
In that sense, it encourages passengers to call the number even if the coupon has expired.
Precisely because airlines are being much more flexible in offering extensions than they were before the pandemic.
Evaluating travel decisions
Figures show that more and more Americans have started traveling, despite current public health concerns.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 1.28 million people at checkpoints Thursday.
This represents the third busiest day at U.S. airports since the pandemic hit air travel nearly a year ago.
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Passenger numbers are still 57% below pre-pandemic levels.
However, an industry group says it is prepared for a wave of travelers enjoying spring break or visiting relatives, many of whom are newly vaccinated.
“We want people to get on airplanes.
We think it's safe or we wouldn't take them, ”Nick Calio of the Airlines for America group told CNN on Thursday.
You can see that the people are excited.
Lately we have this state of mind and people think that we are overcoming it.
The industry begins to see increases in flight searches, reservations and the number of travelers reviewed by the TSA.
While there is also "pent-up demand for travel, the likes of which we've never seen before," noted Keyes of Scott's Cheap Flights.
He expects demand to increase enormously during the summer travel season.
More transmissible covid-19 variants and travel-related spikes of the virus continue to be a concern for the CDC, agency director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on CNN late Thursday.
"We are being very cautious at the moment with travel," he said.
Keyes finds the flexibility of booking air travel right now a good thing for those evaluating their upcoming destinations.
“I think there is actually a real benefit to booking flights sooner rather than later because it gives you that flexibility.
You are not as limited in your travel plans as you might have expected or been used to before the pandemic, "he added.
CNN's Gregory Wallace contributed to this report.
Pandemic Air tickets
