Notice to Travellers

RESUMPTION OF FLIGHTS POSTPONED & LAUNCH OF A NEW DESTINATION

Dear Air Belgium Travellers,

Dear Madam, Dear Sir, 

FLIGHTS TO THE FRENCH ANTILLES POSTPONED TO JULY 02^nd, 2021

Through this notice, we would like to inform you of the latest updates regarding the resumption of our operations.

Although we had hoped to see the crisis and its effects diminish, we must acknowledge that many uncertainties remain and that our industry still suffers from an essential lack of visibility. We are, just as each of our passengers, forced to follow developments on a day-to-day basis and to adjust, with no possibility to foresee the consequences of the decisions and announcements made by the various authorities - in Belgium, France and/or the Caribbean. On the Belgian side, the requirement to present essential reasons for travel has already been extended twice since the beginning of this year. In addition, Martinique has just been classified as a red zone by Belgium and joins Guadeloupe, which has also been a red zone for several weeks.

At the same time, and even if Belgium suspends the travel bans for essential reasons and allows people to travel again more freely after April 18th, the French government still imposes compelling reasons to travel to Guadeloupe and Martinique. According to information received and collected from local stakeholders, these compelling travel conditions are not expected to be lifted for several weeks. 

Given the above, we have no choice but to anticipate the next few weeks by scheduling a return to our flights at a realistic and objective date. You will therefore be able to fly with us again this summer, as of July 02^nd, 2021.

By then, the various vaccination campaigns and the implementation of a European vaccination certificate will have progressed and will, hopefully, allow you to travel freely again within the European Union, of which Martinique and the Islands of Guadeloupe are members.

Passengers who were scheduled to fly with us between April 20^th and July 1^st:

• You can either reschedule your trip free of charge to a later date or be reimbursed. In case of a date change, we also offer you the opportunity to rebook your flights in August (high season) without any change in fare. Our team will contact all passengers concerned individually in the next few days. We thank you in advance for your patience and assure you that a solution will be offered to each of our travellers, as previously done.

• To provide you with more flexibility to reschedule your travel dates, we are pleased to confirm that we are not interrupting our flight schedule to Fort-de-France during the months of September and October 2021. You will therefore be able to travel non-stop as of July 02^nd to Martinique. Our flights to Guadeloupe will resume on July 02^nd and will operate continuously except from September 1^st to October 15^th, 2021. Our flights to the islands of Guadeloupe will operate continuously except from September 1^st to October 15^th, 2021.

IMPORTANT: if your tickets have been booked through a travel agency or via an online agency, please contact them. They will make the necessary changes as we are unable to intervene directly. 

LAUNCH OF A NEW DESTINATION: CURACAO, THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

We remain passionate and determined to resume our activities and have taken advantage of the last few weeks to offer you new destinations. 

As of July 3^rd, you will be able to fly to the beautiful island of Curaçao from Brussels Charleroi.

The French and Netherlands Antilles will therefore be accessible to you from Belgium this summer.

THE GOOD NEWS

Do you want to be among the first ones to travel in July? Great idea! You will get the best fares if you book now, and you can postpone your trip free of charge with our ZEN formula. Plus, for all new reservations with flights in July or August, you can decide to cancel your flights free of charge up to 7 days before your departure.

In practical terms:

• Our ZEN formula still applies and allows you to postpone your trip free of charge to a later date for a travel within 12 months of the original date of travel, no justification required.
• For travellers wishing to travel to Curaçao - tickets are already on sale. Benefit from the best fares now, available on our website.
• If you would like to get the best fares for this summer, either for Guadeloupe, Martinique or Curaçao, we advise you to make your reservation as soon as possible. 
• For any ticket purchased for a departure in July or August, you can decide to cancel your reservation at no charge up to 7 days before your departure.
• This year, we are not interrupting our flight programme in September and October. You will therefore be able to travel to Martinique and Curaçao all year round. Our flights to the islands of Guadeloupe will operate continuously except from September 1^st to October 15^th, 2021.
• As a reminder, we are maintaining the launch of our flights to Mauritius from October 15^th, with direct flights from Brussels Zaventem.

TO CONCLUDE

We have a long way to go and we are still full of hope. The current context demonstrates more than ever the necessity and importance of travel. We remain convinced that the situation will gradually settle down and that the smooth resumption of our activities is approaching. Even if we are not responsible for this situation, we are sincerely saddened for all our passengers and the travel industry who are suffering tremendously from this unprecedented crisis. 

Hang in there and see you on July 2nd!

The Air Belgium Team  ✈️

Air Belgium offers you, in collaboration with FLOA Bank, the possibility to pay your tickets in 3 installments. It’s easy. Select the desired flights and click on the ‘3 installments payment’ button. You will only pay for the first third of your order when you make you reservation.

All you need is your VISA or Mastercard to book your flights. You don't need to provide any supporting documents or additional details.

A first payment will be made on the day of your reservation, equal to one third of the total amount. The other two thirds will be debited separately and respectively 30 days and 60 days after your booking. The 3 monthly installments will be charged to the credit card you provided when making your initial reservation.

The ‘extra bonus': for all bookings made until January 31th 2021, you will not pay any credit fees!

This payment facility is limited to individuals residing in Belgium, mainland France or the French overseas departments and territories. It is available for all bookings under €6,000.

If you would like more information, please click here. Do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to help you.

Thanks for your trust and see you soon.

The Air Belgium Team

Dear Traveller,

We understand that the current sanitary context may cause uncertainty and stress for those of you who wish to book their next travel or holiday.

If you are in in doubt, we have something that will reassure you!

We offer you peace of mind with our "ZEN” formula applicable to all tickets booked on our scheduled routes and destinations.

Just relax! As we are waiving all extra charges for any flight ticket purchased from now on until December 31, 2020 included you will be able:

• To modify your travel dates for a trip planned before December 31, 2021 included.
• To change your destination for a trip before December 31, 2021 included.

And since we want everyone to feel “super ZEN” 😊 you may also be fully reimbursed in the event we are prevented from operating some of our flights due to eventual COVID-19 restrictions.

• Should you wish to modify your travel dates, you may login via the “My Booking” section on airbelgium.com to select your new travel dates up to 48H before your departure (*).

• Should you wish to switch your destination, we kindly ask you to inform us at least 7 days prior to your initial scheduled departure at the following email address: [email protected] (*).  

Spare yourself the hassle of last-minute bookings, and benefit from our attractive early fares! Book now your preferred dates at the most suitable fares, and simply stay “ZEN”.

For more information, visit our COVID-19 page for more details on our “ZEN” formula”.

We look forward to welcoming you on board very soon and thank you for your trust.

The Air Belgium Team

(*) This offer is valid for bookings made from August 21st, 2020 until October 31^st, 2020 included and for any travel date. Possibility to change dates and destination once, without administrative charges and regardless of your initial ticket conditions. In the event you are changing dates and/or destination leading to a fare increase, you will simply be asked to pay the difference before your departure date. In the event of a decrease in fare you will be reimbursed. All other conditions and services related to your initial ticket remain valid and applicable subject to availability.

In order to prevent any risk to human food and animal feed and to guarantee healthy and good quality crops, the European Union (EU) places great emphasis on plant and crop protection. Consequently, the movement of plants from third countries is monitored in order to prevent harmful organisms from being introduced into, spreading and establishing themselves in the EU.

As a reminder, since 14 December 2019, the import of plant material from third countries is banned in all EU member states through an EU regulation.

This means that the import of plants, fruit, vegetables, cut flowers, seeds and other fresh parts, soil and certain types of wood from countries outside the European Union is prohibited. This ban on the import of plant material also applies to the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin as well as the Canary Islands and Ceuta and Melilla.

However, the import of plant material may be authorised if it comes with a phytosanitary certificate issued by the country of origin.

There are also exemptions for certain types of fruit, including pineapple, coconut, durian, banana and dates, which can be imported from any third country.

High-risk products (potatoes, soil, leafs, citrus fruit etc.) are systematically prohibited.

The customs departments of the EU member states carry out checks.

Dear Passengers,

Good news for your (furry) friend! If your dog is a brachycephalic (or ‘short-headed’) breed, you can take him along with Air Belgium.

How does it work? All you need to do is complete and sign a waiver form. The form is mandatory, whether your pet travels in the cabin or hold.

You can find all the relevant information in the ‘Travelling with pets’ section on our website.

Happy travels, and we hope to see you soon!

Dear Passengers,

We would like to draw your attention to the customs regulations to observe for your journey to the French Antilles.

Although Fort-de-France and Pointe-à-Pitre are part of the French territory, the overseas territories like Martinique and Guadeloupe are in fact treated as non-EU territories.

As such, restrictions on the import of products from these territories do apply. Consequently, you are only allowed to bring back one litre of alcohol per person (rum, in particular).

For further information, please visit the Belgian Customs and Excise Service website or the French Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes portal.

We look forward to welcoming you on board soon!