Coronavirus - Travel impacts II

[Chuckanut]

Delta has banned 250 people from flying with them so far. Mostly, I believe due to corona virus behaviors. And they are guaranteeing an empty middle seat through 1/6/2021.

I'm still not flying, but if I had to I know which airlines I would choose.

 

[explanade]

Delta has banned 250 people from flying with them so far. Mostly, I believe due to corona virus behaviors. And they are guaranteeing an empty middle seat through 1/6/2021.

I'm still not flying, but if I had to I know which airlines I would choose.

Is that on international flights too?

I would guess if demand spikes up enough, they'll get rid of the guarantee.

Especially when vaccines start getting deployed.

 

[sengsational]

I'm still not flying, but if I had to I know which airlines I would choose.

Me too. The one that does the 10 minute paper antigen test right at the boarding gate.

If an airline decided to implement such a policy, would they need government approval? Delta has some rules they have implemented to deny boarding. Isn't it true that some airlines deny boarding to people with an apparent fever? Maybe airline travel will be the first place quick testing of the masses will "take off" (pardon the pun). There's money to be made at starting to pack 'em in again, and they have a lot of capital tied up in severely under-utilized aircraft. Seems the perfect storm.

A coalition of airlines from around the world could come up with a guarantee for the test to be developed, without government funding. As long as it's use wouldn't be blocked at any departure gates around the world, it could "get off the ground" (again).

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Friend of mine on a United flight this week said they had them all scoot together and sit in just a few rows at the back if tge plane so the plane would be "easier to clean" But then insisted they socially distance as they got off the plane. Eyeroll

 

[Chuckanut]

Friend of mine on a United flight this week said they had them all scoot together and sit in just a few rows at the back if tge plane so the plane would be "easier to clean" But then insisted they socially distance as they got off the plane. Eyeroll

What is it with that airline? If there is a mistake to be made, United seems determined to make it first.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

What is it with that airline? If there is a mistake to be made, United seems determined to make it first.

Yep, 11 years later I still think of "United Breaks Guitars" every time I hear their name!

 

[SpinDoctorTX]

Back to travel refund...

When EU announced restricting travels from Americans at the end of June, Norwegian Airlines cancelled our September flight to Paris the next day. I called Chase, and got our refunds right away.

We also paid a local travel agency for the inland 10 day trip, so I also asked Chase about that refund. Their answer was I have to wait for their cancellation email before they can help me, so I waited.

Few days ago, I finally received their email that the trip is now officially cancelled. But, they can't refund back to credit card company for it is more than 6 months old. Paypal is the only option. But, I do not have a working account with Paypal anymore.

So, I called Chase back and now they can process for me. They said the temporary refund will show on my account for 2 billing cycles. They will work with the travel agency on the actual refund. If they rescind their cancellation, I will not get to keep the refund. If they are not responding after 2 billing cycles, I can then get to keep the refund. This is all very strange to me. But, I think I am likely getting to keep the refund since I have the email from the travel agency. We will see.

We disputed our Chase pmt. to Great Value Vacations, received a 5k credit, and after 2 billing cycles it was ours. They only recently figured out that it happened, as my offered credit was reduced to 0. That stuff about refunding to Paypal is ridiculous!

I believe that's what I call "Fiction for Friction".

These companies don't want to make it too easy to let money flow "the wrong way", so they make up a story, which usually involves "the system", which won't let the rep do what you are entitled to.

The same thing happened to me and the CC company let the clock tick on my "service not delivered" challenge, and when the timer went to zero, the refund became permanent.

Yep... worked that way for us too. It helps to have a good relationship with the bank/cc- we charge everything we can for cash back, and have a boatload of $ in their care.

I am actually sympathetic to these small US based travel agencies. I am not sure how many of them could survive without any bookings for another 6 months. They could simply close their door and Chase will have no way to get any of my money back.

My Chase card has travel protection so I guess I could file a claim if that happens, though Chase did not ask me to do that step, yet.

You might consider disputing the charge sooner rather than later... Things are getting hinky now, and a lot of travel businesses will likely go BK or just plain close up shop. Just a thought, but I worked in credit risk management for a very long time and I smell a rat.

 

[JoeWras]

You might consider disputing the charge sooner rather than later... Things are getting hinky now, and a lot of travel businesses will likely go BK or just plain close up shop. Just a thought, but I worked in credit risk management for a very long time and I smell a rat.

Amen to that!

We finally got our 75% refund from our travel company after 5 months. When the check arrived, I immediately drove it to the bank to deposit it. We're now past the NSF period, whew.

We couldn't get the CC involved because there was no CC. This company didn't take them. That made me even more nervous.

Not happy about losing 25%, but that's life.

 

[SpinDoctorTX]

Amen to that!

We finally got our 75% refund from our travel company after 5 months. When the check arrived, I immediately drove it to the bank to deposit it. We're now past the NSF period, whew.

We couldn't get the CC involved because there was no CC. This company didn't take them. That made me even more nervous.

Not happy about losing 25%, but that's life.

That I can understand- 25% lost is not nothing, that's for sure. Lesson learned on my part- I'll never book through a travel service again. It's easier, since it is all bundled up for you, but the risk factor bugs me now. I think I can figure it out on my own, with the only at risk bits being air travel non-refundable & any room deposits/ train tickets etc.

 

[Freedom56]

I received my refund of $4978.26 on Friday for two upper class return tickets (LAX to GVA) on Virgin Atlantic and British Airways on Friday that the airlines cancelled in May. Complicating the refund process was Expedia was the agent in the middle. It took complaints to the BBB and DOT to assert pressure to get this refund. The person handling my case at the DOT informed me the worst offenders and with the most complaints are United Airlines and Air Canada. Both those two airlines are only issuing vouchers that potentially never can be used or will be subject to fare differences. In other words, they are stealing your money. The worst offender among third party agents is currently Expedia. We are not going to book any travel too far in advance as there are no guarantees that your flight will not be cancelled. Given that business class ticket prices for domestic travel remain depressed, there is no reason to. I have been looking at flights from LAX to FLL on business/first class and they are currently around $720-$820 return which are about 40-45% below normal prices.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Lot airlines cancelled our trip to Europe 2 months ago and no refund yet. I disputed it on my CC on Thursday and she said that the credit would be permanent after 90 days. The credit isn’t showing up yet.

 

[explanade]

Lot airlines cancelled our trip to Europe 2 months ago and no refund yet. I disputed it on my CC on Thursday and she said that the credit would be permanent after 90 days. The credit isn’t showing up yet.

Did they at least offer credit as an option?

 

[Freedom56]

The link below is to the latest DOT Consumer Travel Report for July 2020. Starting at page 43 are the consumer complaints for the month of May 2020. I would expect the complaints to continue to trend up for June, July, and August 2020.

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2020-08/July 2020 ATCR.pdf

Keep in mind that only a small percentage of the consumers due a refund actually file complaints with the DOT so the situation far worse than what the report indicates.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Regarding my refund problem mentioned in post #1506-
The Travel Company (Blue Roads) still says they can't do any credit card transactions now at all (like crediting me my refund) and I should give them my bank information as previously discussed/rejected. My bank told me not to do it that way.

But they recently sent me an email saying I should dispute the charge with my CC company and they would not dispute my claim, so the chargeback should happen quickly.

I put all the information in the mail to the CC company today, we'll see what happens...

 

[sengsational]

What is it with that airline? If there is a mistake to be made, United seems determined to make it first.

About United...

I got an email from my buddy Scott Kirby (CEO) today, titled "Change is here. Change fees are gone." What? You mean the customer-hostile policy that made millions of people simply give up on airline travel is now being softened? What a concept! Too bad it took a pandemic, and too bad it's in your best interest to keep sick people off of your aircraft before you did the right thing. But since it's United, they probably have fine print that will screw over the customer somehow.

 

[JoeWras]

My parents liked United, I think by default because Chicago was a hub. I was never much of a fan for reasons I never enumerated. It just didn't feel right.

All this discussion solidifies my feeling. Off the list permanently.

BTW I used my dad's cc points to fly up and visit him. Not a good program at all. The load of points required for any reasonable flight was ridiculous.

 

[athena53]

I can't believe it's taken this long, but...

Booked a Marriott in Quito, Ecuador for the night before I was to fly home in March, via Orbitz. (Yeah, I know. Mistake #1.)

Ecuador closed its borders so I couldn't get INTO Ecuador from Bolivia. Marriott cancelled my stay without my even asking the day before I was to arrive. Don't know why, but good news.

Called Marriott after I got home in late March. Refund will take time, they said. Be patient, they said. Finally, in mid-May after I followed up they said that Orbitz had the $$- they'd never been paid. Called Orbitz. They'd take a few weeks to process the refund. I filed a dispute with the credit card company since the time for that was running out. CC company gave me a temporary credit and asked for al the details. I provided them. This AM (9/1!) I got an e-mail form Orbitz. They'll be issuing a refund- eventually.

I hope Citi doesn't reverse their temporary credit before then.

 

[jollystomper]

In the blink of an eye, everything changes. Another reminder that we are not guaranteed tomorrow...

BIL has died suddenly. He woke up, ate breakfast, took his dog for a walk, came back home and told MIL (with whom he lived with) he was going to rest in his room. At noon MIL makes lunch and goes on with her activities, but them notices around 2PM he did not come out for lunch. Checks his room and finds him lying on the floor. Calls paramedics but they are unable to revive him. Gone at 54.

So... now DW and I will be traveling to Florida for his funeral...

We are back from the funeral. As I summarized in the "Travel plans 2021" thread, the travel aspect was not bad and I would not be reluctant to fly again if things went as they did now:

• I have never seen airports so eerily empty in my life. I have flown out of many airports at all hours of the day, but this time they seemed much emptier and quieter. No problems social distancing anywhere, even on security lines. There were VERY few families with children to be found.

• We flew on Southwest. Our departure/return flights had 60/50 people on them, no middle seats and easy to spread out. People easily social distanced getting on and off the planes - no one was in a rush. On each flight we had either or both rows in front and in back of us empty. It made flying comfortable.. . but also made me realize how much the drop in passengers was impacting the airlines.

• I am a Hertz gold club member so social distancing to get the rental was easy with so few rentals. At 9PM we were the only ones on the rental shuttle bus. There were only 3 names on the Gold board. No need to go to the counter, just go to the gold section and pick out the car we wanted. The car had that “freshly sanitized” loo and smell. I had no concerns riding in it.

• We stayed in a hotel (A Hampton Inn and Suites) for 5 days/4 nights. It was easy to find parking spaces in the front of the hotel. Our room was upgraded at no charge, and the room looked, smelled, and felt very sanitized. We were comfortable in it, and with getting housekeeping every day. We saw a total of 15 other guests over those days at a hotel with probably 150+ rooms. The breakfast area had tables social distanced apart, but the mornings we ate there, there were no more than 2 other tables being used. The breakfast items have been reduced to whole solid fruits, covered rolls/muffins/pastries, and cereal. No hot items or (my favorite) waffle iron.

We have few concerns about the travel environments we had to deal with. But it is sobering that the safer they are means the more less business they have, and/or requires them to scale down their business.

 

[Winemaker]

Our usual operandi in the fall is to rent a vehicle here in SW PA, and drive down to BIL and SIL near FT. Meyers, then fly back home. We take a few side trips and stay with them a few days, usually the rental cost is about $150 for 10 days and unlimited miles. This year, there must be too many cars already in FL, as the cost one way is $1000, for our usual trip.

This year we will just drive down with our own car and back.

 

[Sunset]

Our usual operandi in the fall is to rent a vehicle here in SW PA, and drive down to BIL and SIL near FT. Meyers, then fly back home. We take a few side trips and stay with them a few days, usually the rental cost is about $150 for 10 days and unlimited miles. This year, there must be too many cars already in FL, as the cost one way is $1000, for our usual trip.

This year we will just drive down with our own car and back.

Maybe it's cheap to rent going away from FL ?

I never thought about doing a one way rental to FL, but for $150, it would be worth it.

 

[Winemaker]

Maybe it's cheap to rent going away from FL ?

I never thought about doing a one way rental to FL, but for $150, it would be worth it.

We usually do that in the spring, when they're repositioning cars from the snow birders. However, I did check that option out for this fall, but the price is $450-600.

So either market conditions have disrupted our plane/car trip this fall, or they've figured our our dirty little 11 year old secret.

 

[braumeister]

Just got back home from another long (9 days) road trip and thought I'd mention an odd situation. Everywhere I went throughout 14 states in the middle of the US, almost everyone was really good about wearing masks and keeping their distance.

The one exception was Illinois. I stopped in two places in Illinois, once for gas and once for something to eat, and both times I saw not one single person wearing a mask. And instead of the expected signs on building doors saying "Mask required to enter" like I saw in the other states, the signs on these places just said "We recommend wearing a mask".

Last I saw, Illinois was in 4th place for new confirmed cases, behind California, Texas, and Florida, and the rate was rising faster. Coincidence?

 

[JoeWras]

The one exception was Illinois. I stopped in two places in Illinois, once for gas and once for something to eat, and both times I saw not one single person wearing a mask. And instead of the expected signs on building doors saying "Mask required to enter" like I saw in the other states, the signs on these places just said "We recommend wearing a mask".

Culturally, and economically, Illinois is very diverse. I would guess it depends where in IL.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

...instead of the expected signs on building doors saying "Mask required to enter" like I saw in the other states, the signs on these places just said "We recommend wearing a mask".

I thought for sure you were going to say the signs actually prohibited masks: https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/local-bp-says-no-to-facemasks-requirement/

 

[braumeister]

Culturally, and economically, Illinois is very diverse. I would guess it depends where in IL.

I'm well aware of the diversity of Illinois because I lived there for several years. This happened to be along I-70.

Actually, I saw many variations on this trip.

A medium size town in Utah:
"We are required by the governor to post this sign mandating mask wear indoors, but we won't say anything if you don't"

A small town in Wyoming, in a store selling saddles:
"No masks required to enter here"

But everywhere I went, I would say 98% of the people I saw were very good about wearing masks, so it kind of restored my faith in the average person.