The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the whole world and each of us. A wave of change has swept through the tourism sector too. Travel restrictions have been tightening and loosening, and compliance with lockdown measures has become routine for many.
However, despite the barriers, we continue to travel. After all, nothing can replace the joy of new discoveries, the opportunity to switch and reboot, to get a lot of impressions that we lack for well-being at times.
Travel safer, more relaxed, and more comfortable with the following tips.
1. You are planning a trip, but you are worried that the trip may not take place due to a sudden suspension of entry for travelers from Ukraine. How to avoid losing money?
To protect yourself from loss of funds in case the borders of the wished destination are closed and your flight is canceled, choose fares that provide a refund or the possibility of changing departure dates for free when booking tickets.
At SkyUp, the terms of the Standard and Flex fares allow to flexibly change the plans: in both fares (Standard — for an additional fee, Flex — free three times for one flight, then for an additional fee) you can change the date before departure only for an identical destination and no later than than 12 hours before the flight.
2. You have planned a trip, bought tickets, the borders of the destination country remain open, but the airline canceled the flight. What to do?
As soon as the airline cancels the flight, the passenger receives an email with information about the cancellation of the flight and options on how to get a refund by e-mail, which the passenger indicated when buying tickets. The conditions of airlines may differ, so you should familiarize yourself with them in advance and choose the best ones for yourself.
When canceling flights due to optimization of the flight program, we at SkyUp offer the following options: reschedule the departure date, credit funds to the passenger’s personal balance on the skyup.aero website (they are saved indefinitely, you can spend on tickets for yourself or friends, pay for additional services) or withdraw them to a bank card.
If you purchased tickets through a sales agent, you must contact the place of purchase for a refund.
3. All travel arrangements are done, and just a few days before departure, the rules for entry in the chosen destination change. You do not meet the new requirements and you are denied a flight. What to do?
The rules for entering countries change frequently, sometimes several times a month or even a week. This will definitely not last forever, countries are already looking for new approaches, for example, the EU announced that from February, the movement within the EU and foreign trips of its citizens the status of the traveler (availability of vaccination, test results, or a certificate of recovery) will be taken into account, and not the situation at the regional level.
Meanwhile, so that the changes are not a surprise, shortly before the trip, you should check the current conditions for crossing borders. Sometimes it helps to have time to prepare so as not to postpone the trip. Current border crossing requirements should be checked only on official resources, including the official Internet resources of the chosen country or on the website "Advice to travelers from the Consular Service of Ukraine" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, as well as requirements for entry into Ukraine on the website of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
With the exception of the complete closure of borders, the tightening of entry rules does little to prevent fully vaccinated passengers from traveling. Especially if the vaccination was done with EU-certified vaccines.
In addition, in order to protect yourself from unexpected changes in plans, you can purchase insurance against non-flight or purchase a ticket at a fare that allows you to conveniently and without additional fees change the departure date (under the Flex fare at SkyUp, you can not only change the departure date for one flight three times free of charge, but also change the date of departure in case of no-show for the flight for an additional fee).
We at SkyUp also allow you to change the departure dates for free, regardless of the fare at which the ticket was purchased, but on condition that the ticket was purchased before the official publication of the updated conditions of entry in the chosen direction.
4. Planning a trip but worried that you might get COVID-19 and have to cancel your trip. How to avoid losing money?
Trip cancellation insurance will help save money, which also includes the risks of being diagnosed with COVID-19 and other reasons that may interfere with the trip. Such insurance costs several hundred hryvnia per person.
5. All travel arrangements are done, but before departure you receive a positive PCR test. How to get a refund for a ticket?
If an illness is diagnosed shortly before the departure, airlines may provide flexible refund conditions. So, at SkyUp, you can change the flight departure date for free to any new one available on the official website of the airline at the time of rebooking, or return funds for an unused ticket in accordance with the rules of the applied fare. Moreover, these conditions apply to all relatives in a joint booking, even if they have not been diagnosed with a disease. Details here.
6. Is there a risk of contracting COVID-19 on board? Does insurance apply in this case?
Compared to restaurants, public transport, gyms, nightclubs, etc., according to IATA research, there is less chance of contracting COVID-19 on aircraft boards. However, in the event of infection, the usual health insurance will apply.
To minimize the risk, the passenger must follow the rules of epidemiological safety on board: avoid unnecessary touching of surfaces, observe hand hygiene, wear a mask throughout the flight and change it to a new one if necessary (medical mask — every 2-4 hours or as soon as it becomes wet/dirty, FFP2/FFP3 respirator — every 6-8 hours), try to avoid direct contact with other passengers and keep a distance, if possible.
All SkyUp crews are vaccinated and are regularly tested for COVID-19. Flight attendants, in addition to serving passengers, control compliance with safety rules on board: the passengers being masked, preventing the accumulation of people in the cabin.
We have a strict policy of compliance with epidemiological safety rules: if a passenger violates the rules, first the flight attendant makes a verbal remark, the second time — in writing, and the third time — passes information about the violator to the aircraft commander, who decides on further actions. The airplane may make an unscheduled landing in order for the police to take the offender from the airplane. We can also blacklist the violator.
Compliance with epidemiological rules on the aircraft board is mandatory for everyone without exception and is necessary to ensure the safety and health of all passengers and crew.
Travel has changed, but not disappeared. So do not deny yourself this pleasure. Be aware, follow the rules, and discover the world with SkyUp.