If you’ve traveled on an airplane since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic about a year ago, you’ve probably seen that most airlines have established flexible flying policies that allow you to exchange your ticket for another one for free, something that used to cost a lot of money. Right now, it’s only reasonable. Travel policies, especially international ones, are constantly changing, meaning that people’s travel plans are often up in the air. Being able to change your flight tickets, even at the last minute, has become a necessity.
But it begs the question—should this have been the case all along? And can it be in the future? After all, flying is already incredibly expensive and the fact that tickets are typically so rigid is a major inconvenience. There are plenty of reasons to have to exchange an airplane ticket unrelated to global pandemics, such as family emergencies and health issues. So can we keep this flexible flying policy even after the pandemic ends?
The answer is—maybe. Sort of. Many airlines have already vowed to waive change fees for at least some of their flights and at least part of the time. And those who haven’t may find they lose business as a result. So let’s hope that this can be one positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic.