THE cost of your plane ticket could cost double the price compared to pre-lockdown, according to experts.
Airlines will be able to fly again once the lockdown due to coronavirus has been lifted, but with airfares being much more expensive.
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While carriers will be able to fly passengers around the world once again, it is likely that they will still be forced to follow social distancing guidelines.
If airlines are only allowed to sell half of the tickets on a flight, then this could mean at least doubling costs compared to pre-lockdown to maintain a profit.
An industry expert has said this will have a knock-on effect for travellers with airlines being forced to pass on the increased prices.
The expert told the Telegraph that there will be a “mad rush and a price surge” for flights but that continued social distancing is to be expected.
They explained: “There are currently cheap fares available but this pricing is based on a full plane.”
“The profit margin on a single seat is around £5 on average, so it is inevitable that ticket prices will have to go up to maintain this, if only a proportion of seats are allowed to be sold.”
They also added that the inflated prices could be expected to last months as airlines seek to retain profit.
Holidaymakers have been warned to hold off on booking a summer holiday, despite many airlines offering cut-price tickets.
Europe and Australia have advised that holidays during the peak summer months are unlikely with the lockdown expected to continue.
If you have a holiday booked this summer, however, experts are warning not to cancel it just yet.
Until the government extends their travel advice advising against non-essential travel, you may not be entitled to a refund.
Some airlines and hotels are allowing customers to move their travel dates free of charge to a later time, so it is worth getting in touch.
But airlines are struggling to make money with many forced to ground the majority of their fleet due to coronavirus.
UK airlines are begging the government for support to avoid going bankrupt, while requesting a change to refund policies which would allow them to keep passengers’ money until the crisis is over.
Airlines UK, which has members including British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair, requested in a letter sent to the government: “Carriers should also be permitted to issue vouchers instead of refunds and, should refunds be required, carriers should be permitted to defer payment until the crisis period is over and as defined by air traffic volumes, rather than time period.”
This would mean deferring claims under EU law EC261 which allows passengers refunds from airlines for cancelled flights.
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While this has yet to be implemented, travellers are already finding it difficult to seek refunds, with many offered credit notes until at least next year.
An investigation conducted by Which? magazine found customers were either being offered credit notes or the option to rebook at a future date.
Some travellers were only being offered credit notes for a later date, while others found they were only being offered half of the amount that they paid.
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