March 10, 2020 – Aerolíneas Argentinas released news as regards its international operation due to the global health situation caused by the coronavirus:
· Rome: flights departing on March 18 and 22 and April 4, 6, 10, 12, 19 and 26 have been cancelled. This is in addition to the already suspended flights which were set to depart on March 12, 16, 19, 26, 28 and 30.
· Miami: flights departing on March 18 and 26 have been cancelled (only the daytime flights).
· Orlando: the flight departing on March 26 has been cancelled.
The passengers affected by the abovementioned cancellations will be relocated on earlier or later flights. Those passengers who cannot travel on the dates suggested will be able to reschedule their flight within a 15-day term prior or subsequent to the original date.
The changes are part of a dynamic adjustment of the operation carried out by the company due to the growing number of cancellation requests of or changes to already issued bookings.
It is worth mentioning that some routes to risk zones, such as Rome, have been maintained due to the large amount of Argentine citizens and/or tourists who need to fly back home.
FLIGHT FLEXIBILITY
Changes in dates at no cost: passengers who purchase tickets to destinations in Europe or the United States from March 10 up to and including March 31, 2020 may change the date of the flight only once without being subject to any penalties, only having to pay the fare difference, if any.
VOLUNTARY CHANGES
· Changes in dates or routes: for tickets for flights departing up to November 30, 2020, a one-time date or route change will not be subject to penalties, but passengers may have to pay any applicable fare differences.
· Ticket refund: refunds will be subject to the terms and conditions of the fare purchased.
Which passengers are eligible?
· Passengers flying to and from China up to May 31, 2020.
· Passengers flying to and from Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Israel and USA up to May 31.
· Passengers who have been in China during the last 15 days and who are therefore not allowed to enter the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti and Paraguay.
This measure applies both to Aerolíneas Plus passengers and to passengers who have bought their tickets through direct channels (Aerolíneas Argentinas website, sales offices or call center) or indirectly (at travel agencies).
It is worth mentioning that, in all cases, passengers must request the changes of their tickets through the same sales channel they used to purchase them.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Aerolíneas Argentinas is carrying out an active prevention campaign as regards the employees who, due to their jobs, are in contact with people from different places around the world and/or risk zones.
In addition to the hygiene recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), the company suggests their crew members to: air out closed spaces, avoid crowds and/or leaving the hotels where they are staying, keep their distance, and avoid greeting people with a kiss and/or handshake, among other recommendations.
Aerolíneas Argentinas aircraft have an air conditioning system with special high-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) which allow for the frequent renewal of the air in the cabin, and also capture particles of different sizes, including viruses, which provides for a cleaner space, reducing the likelihood of transmission of the virus to both our crew members and our passengers.
After each flight, the cleaning employees sanitize the aircraft with a wide-scope chemical product for aviation use.