Wuhan coronavirus: Cathay Pacific offers refunds on all mainland China flights until end of February, as Hong Kong’s tour agents cancel bookings
- Airline website says it will allow passengers flying to or from any mainland China airport to rebook, re-route or take a refund on any type of ticket booked
- Travel agents from Hong Kong are also cancelling all outbound tours to mainland, offering tourists a re-route within six months or a refund
Cathay Pacific is among the first carriers to allow passengers to change any China travel plans in the face of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. It follows Beijing’s request late on Thursday to all airlines to offer refunds on flights to and from the mainland.
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier said on its website on Friday it would allow passengers flying to or from any mainland China airport to rebook, re-route or take a refund on any type of ticket booked up to the end of February. It is also applicable to Cathay Dragon flights.
On Thursday night, China’s civil aviation regulator urged all airlines and travel agents to offer full refunds without adding any administrative fees for flights to help prevent the spread of the virus, which has killed 26 people on the mainland.
The blanket policy change is a blow to Hong Kong’s flagship airline, which flies into 23 airports on the mainland, and has been suffering for months from Hong Kong’s anti-government protests and a de facto boycott across the border.
Cathay’s move comes as Hong Kong tightened its precautions on tackling the virus, prompting cancellations by local travel agencies on outbound tours to the mainland to pacify worried visitors.
Hong Kong’s Travel Industry Council said that about 2,600 tours to the mainland between Saturday and mid-February had been cancelled, affecting more than 91,000 people and involving about 20 agencies.