AFM Kamal Chowdhury

Apr 8, 2020

Denied to refund/reschedule a booking for a flight shifted by Japan Airlines during COVID-19

I booked a Japan Airlines ticket via Travelgenio.com for a flight from Singapore to Los Angeles via Tokyo on 4-5 April 2020. I got an email from Travelgenio on 01-Apr-2020 that the schedule of the connecting flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles is shifted to 7th April 2020. That means I would have to stay two days in Tokyo before flying for Los Angeles. As a frequent traveller, I experienced similar changes in connecting flight schedule twice before. In 2016, my wife and I booked a Thai Airways ticket to travel from Sydney to Dhaka via Bangkok, while the connecting flight from Bangkok to Dhaka was shifted by a day. The Thai Airways than offered us either to stay in a Hotel overnight or reschedule the flight. As it was a normal situation, we preferred to stay in the Hotel. Similarly, in 2011, I was offered to stay in a Hotel in Kuala Lumpur for a delayed connecting flight of Malaysian Airlines from Dhaka to Schiphol via Kuala Lumpur. However, surprisingly, I was not offered any such alternative either from Japan Airlines or the travel agent for the change in flight schedule. In the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic, staying Tokyo for two days involves health risk as well as challenges due to travel restriction and citywide lockdowns. Therefore, I tried to contact Travelgenio right-away, but they did not respond. Then, I called the Japan Airlines customer service, explained my concern about the change, and was advised to contact Travelgenio if I want to cancel or reschedule the flight. Since then, I have been consistently trying to reach Travelgenio, but unfortunately, they never responded. I then requested Japan Airlines that they do have responsibility as the flight schedule was changed by them. However, they have been simply denying this responsibility and just asked to contact the travel agent. Now, I am in a helpless situation on top of the stress and worry due to COVID-19.