The News About SAS
Here we are again for another update about another airline taking measures due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. Starting today (16th March 2020) SAS (Scandinavian Air System) will bring to a stadstill most of its passenger and commercial operations.
This is due to the drastic reduction in air travel demand. The airline hasn’t set a time duration for these measures. SAS only informed us that when the health circumstances will allow, normal operations will resume.
Air Baltic Takes Similar Measures to SAS
Air Baltic has stopped all its commercial passenger flights. This happened as effect of the Latvian government’s new rules that limit travel in and out of the northern country. The block, as mentioned, starts on the 16th of March 2020 and will end as of today on the 14th of April. Of course the latter date might vary depending on how the situation will evolve.
Other Airlines Reducing Operations
Many other airlines aroun the world are rudicing significantly thier operations. I’d say almost all airlines across the world are reducing significantly their operations. So if you have a booking with an airline make sure to visit their site to keep yourself updated.
Also if the airline you have reservations with still hasn’t announced any operational reductions, this doesn’t mean you are safe from cancellations or variations. Make sure you keep checking their site on a regular basis.
This apart, I must also add that you must avoid any kind of travel that isn’t strictly necessary at this time. We all have to do our own part in this world emergency. If we all stay at home and isolated as much as possible at this time we’ll make our way out of it faster.
What To Do If You Had a Booking?
What should I do if I had a booking with an airline which has reduced operations? That is an excellent question. I have had a similar experience myself, not with SAS, but with Korean Air. In this post, I’ve explained extensively what happened to me and what I did with my bookings.
But to sum it up, what I think you should do is: get in touch with the airline if they haven’t contacted you yet. Don’t worry if you can’t get through to them at first. Many airline call centers are heavily overloaded in these days, because we all have the same problem, and they have limited resources to deal with it right now.
It’s likely that they will offer you a couple of choices. One might be the opportunity to reschedule your booking later in the year. This might work for you only in the case that your travel wasn’t time sensitive, and if you still feel comfortable travelling later in the year.
Another option might be a refund, if SAS allows it. For instance Korean Air for those flights that have been cancelled or suspended is providing the option of a full refund.
