Booking flights for the fall

[dirtbiker]

I'm looking at booking a European trip in the fall - Oct-Nov time frame. I wasn't even planning on doing an overseas trip this year, but now with the global quarantines halting air travel, prices have dropped so low that I feel foolish not to. I was looking at round trip tickets to Barcelona, Spain for $380 total for both my wife and I. And I was looking at a few other similar deals to other locations as well. Some offer trip cancellation for additional fees, some don't.

My concern is what happens if the airline and/or travel agency goes out of business? We know this is putting a huge strain on a lot of companies, and do I take the risk? I already checked and my credit card (Chase Sapphire Preferred) specifically does not cover airlines and/or travel agencies going out of business.

Obviously, the choice is up to me, but I'm just wondering if anyone else is booking trips for the fall?

I don't want this to turn into a discussion of whether or not it will be safe to travel then. If it isn't safe by then, I'll eat the cost (or cancel if it's available to me) and stay home.

 

[statsman]

I wasn't even planning on doing an overseas trip this year, but now with the global quarantines halting air travel, prices have dropped so low that I feel foolish not to.

Your first thought was correct. I would stick with that. Can't believe people insist on setting up future travel just because it's cheap. Too much is unknown at this time.

 

[pacergal]

We are Not booking any trips in the future.
If you are willing to eat the cost if airlines go out of business, or for other reasons, that is your decision.

 

[OldShooter]

I thought all credit cards protected me from vendors not performing regardless of reason. Have you checked other cards?

We just got back from a big trip to Africa so will probably not do another big trip tis fall. I like the idea of $380 for two tho. At that pricing I'd pay up for business class.

 

[foxfirev5]

FWIW. I've got a couple trips planned for fall that I wish I could cancel.

 

[athena53]

Your first thought was correct. I would stick with that. Can't believe people insist on setting up future travel just because it's cheap. Too much is unknown at this time.

Some airlines are offering liberalized cancellation/rebooking policies for flights you book right now. I'm not biting but I can see where some might.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

We were looking at a trip to Europe (Spain/Portugal) this spring but of course with everything going on, we put it off to the fall but haven't booked yet.

I'm not too concerned about trying to snag an ultra cheap deal because I think there will be deals to be had. Although we're not risk adverse, I just don't want to somewhat commit because there are too many unknowns, not just if it's "safe" to go but how are things going to be on the ground. Are shops/restaurants going to be open, is movement going to be restricted, will festivals/events be happening, etc? Hoping current issues get cleared up in the next few weeks but without a vaccine, there are risks that clusters may pop up again in the fall. We normally book months in advance to get a jump on things but it looks like for this year's trips, we'll only be booking a few weeks out.

I also hate the effort of cancelling things and the red tape of trying to get our money back so would rather book with more certainty.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Too much uncertainty for us to book anything.

 

[Sunset]

Too much uncertainty for us to book anything.

+1
I just cancelled my United CC early, as no use paying a fee for something I'm not going to use for at least 6 months.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm supposed to be in Budapest right now. After all the frayed nerves we've had in recent weeks, 2020 is going to be an off year on international travel.

We finally heard from our travel agent the day before our scheduled departure. They didn't answer emails or the telephone. Future flights will be directly with the airlines.

We ended up getting credit for our flights and prepaid hotels. It just didn't make for a very enjoyable experience cancelling all our trip arrangements. Now, I've got to follow with Visa to make sure we get full payment on our cancelled flights/rooms.

2020 is a Staycation year. We have a lake house 1 hour away and a camper in the Blue Ridge mountains so we never suffer for any vacation spot.

 

[SecondCor521]

I chose to book a domestic trip for September and a Caribbean trip for December a few weeks ago. The timing was sort of after they started offering good travel deals but before the situation got as dire as it has lately with the various restrictions.

I am a relentless optimist and have been for a long time, but I'm beginning to see that sometimes that optimism can be too much.

I have zero personal safety concerns about taking either of those trips at this point, and I don't think that it will get bad enough to where I would have enough concern to cancel the trips myself.

I also don't think any of the travel services I plan to use will go out of business such that I won't be able to make the trips.

I could definitely see travel restrictions being in place that would make my trip impossible. In that case I think some or even most of what I've booked is cancelable / rescheduleable up until shortly beforehand.

So my optimism might cost me some hassle and a few hundred dollars. For me that's an acceptable trade-off to get the chance for some nice trips for not much money. I guess there is also the health risk, but for me that is de minimus so although I see it as a possibility it doesn't come into my decision-making process enough to matter.

 

[dirtbiker]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I think I'm going to though. Worst case is that I lose $380 and don't get a trip. It's easy to gamble when the tickets are this cheap. Best case is that Corona is behind us and I'm smiling ear to ear in Barcelona at a great deal.

 

[Chuckanut]

In theory, trip insurance might turn the non-refundable tickets into refundable tickets.

But, are the travel insurance companies issuing such insurance at the moment?

 

[jollystomper]

In theory, trip insurance might turn the non-refundable tickets into refundable tickets.

But, are the travel insurance companies issuing such insurance at the moment?

Forget it. With high odds of cancellations, you are not going to see any insurance companies want to take that risk.

 

[dirtbiker]

In theory, trip insurance might turn the non-refundable tickets into refundable tickets.

But, are the travel insurance companies issuing such insurance at the moment?

I did a quick search when I was first looking, and it appears that 'any reason' cancellation insurance is not available at the moment.

 

[Spock]

Look at the stay-at-home orders:
AZ "a month or two"
several states are saying "Mid May"
Virginia just edicted "until June 10 unless rescinded or amended"
And none of these are looking at re-locking down when the 2nd wave rolls through.


Do you really think travel is going to be back to normal in just 3ish months after the shutdowns are lifted (and assuming the shutdowns are not extended further)??


I wouldn't be making any travel plans until I've got a vaccine in my veins.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I think I'm going to though. Worst case is that I lose $380 and don't get a trip. It's easy to gamble when the tickets are this cheap. Best case is that Corona is behind us and I'm smiling ear to ear in Barcelona at a great deal.

Truly hoping the best for your trip (and for the sake of everyone, that things stabilize by then).
Purely on the financials, $380 isn't that bad if you had to eat it.

 

[brett]

We usually go to Europe in the fall and Asia in the winter.

We are definitely not booking our air early. In fact, we seldom do. In both instances,over the past six-eight years, we have been able to find attractive fares anywhere from 10 days out to 45 days out.

I suspect the big issue is who will be flying and what will their scheds look like. The schedules and booking possibilities that appear on line today may be very different from reality in the fall.

We want some flexibility. We do not want to book now and get stuck with a credit note that must be used in a limited time frame if the flight or the airline is not flying . Especially if we subsequently have to buy a flight on another carrier. We could decide to pass on the trip.

Routing may be of concern to you if you have a stopover. We recently came back early from Mexico. Lots of flights but only a few direct. We did not want a stop over.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I am not too concerned about traveling and catching the virus, but I am worried about what the conditions will be like at my destination. For instance, if I buy a cheap fare to Athens, will the Parthenon be open in June? What do you want to see in Barcelona? Do you want to see Gaudi's sights like the Sagrada Familia? How would you feel if you get there and those are closed? I want to travel this summer too, but I'm going to wait a bit and see if things calm down first.