It’s time to be together again. If you are planning holidays now and later into the year, flexible flights might be just what you need to explore the world, effortlessly and easily. Flexible booking allows changes or cancellations when unexpected things happen.
Many airlines are offering travellers fee-free flight changes or cancellations, but the rules may vary from airline to airline. Here’s information that can help explain flexible flights and how to book them.
Flexible flights FAQs
Broadly speaking, a flexible flight ticket is one you can change or cancel without paying a fee. These ticket policies differ between airlines. Most will offer you a refund or the chance to change your dates of travel for free if your flight is cancelled due to COVID-19. Some airlines will let you change your dates of travel if you choose to for other reasons, either for free or by paying the fare difference.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most popular airlines (including Emirates and Qantas) expanded their flight change policies to increase flexibility. If you’d like to take advantage of travelling with fee-free changes and cancellations, we’d recommend you book soon. With travel becoming easy once more, they’ll be scaling back again throughout 2022.
You need to set a date when you book most flights. However, if you buy a flexible ticket, you can move the flight date and time until the ticket’s validity period ends. However, you may have to pay the difference in fare, depending on the ticket’s terms and conditions.
Whilst tickets with flexible policies still have a set departure date that could be subject to change depending on circumstances, open tickets have historically been flight tickets with a set departure date but a flexible return date.
Yes, it is possible to buy flexible tickets for last-minute flights. In the midst of the pandemic when restrictions were constantly in flux, some airlines allowed changes days before the flight departed. These kinds of tickets could still be valid – just check each airline’s policy and terms carefully before you book.
Yes, you can buy flexible tickets for direct flights. Some airlines may also offer changes or cancellations on both legs of a flight with a stopover. Just check each airline’s policy carefully before you book.
Airlines offering flexible flight tickets
Ticket policies differ between airlines. Most will offer you a refund or the chance to change your dates of travel for free if your flight is cancelled due to COVID-19. Some airlines will let you change your dates of travel if you choose to for other reasons, either for free or by paying the fare difference.
Here are a few major airline’s current policies.
| Airline | Airline Policy |
| Air New Zealand | Air NZ has flexible flight options for extra purchase. Flexirefund allows customers to change the date, time, destination or origin at any point up to takeoff without a change fee. Flexichange allows passengers to change date, route or time with no fees. |
| Emirates | All Emirates flights booked from 1 April 2021 are flexible, meaning you can change your travel dates free of charge. The window in which you can select your new dates differs depending on when you originally booked your flight, but is between 24 and 36 months from booking. |
| Jetstar | Passengers will need to pay for the Flex Bundle option when booking a flight if they want extra flexibility. With this, you can cancel your flight at any time (up until the airport check-in opens) and receive Jetstar credit for the total of your flight purchase, and any extras. There are no change fees for date, time and name changes, though fare difference may apply. You can also catch an earlier or later flight on the same day. |
| Qantas | Book a Fly Flexible ticket and you can change dates as many times as you like fee-free (although you may have to cover the difference in ticket prices). You can also cancel your ticket and request a flight credit so you can rebook when you’re ready to travel. |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore Airlines has waived fees for flight changes, though a fare difference may apply. |
| Virgin Australia | Virgin Australia allows you to make unlimited date changes or to cancel for flights that were booked up to 30 June 2022 for domestic fights and 31 December 2022 for international flights. Some flights booked after this date will have the same flexibility. For example, flights to Tonga, Rarotonga and Port Moresby won’t be covered. |
How to book flexible travel in 2022
- Once you’ve found your flight, check the policy on the airline’s website before you book. You may well find they are still offering flexible, changeable or refundable fares free of charge.
- If not, consider a higher cabin class, or look to see if you can add extra flexibility. Despite the news of blanket flexible policies being reversed this year, many airlines still offer changeable tickets for an extra fee.
- Flexible travel doesn’t stop at flights. You can book hotels and car hire with us, then amend later, too. Just hit the ‘Free cancellation’ filter option when you search on our website or app.
- Consider travel insurance with COVID-19 cover. It means your money is safe if COVID-19 disrupts your holiday plans, and is available at the checkout when you book your flights with us.
