Coronavirus - Travel impacts II

[Sunset]

Now I'm thinking maybe I should not be too anxious to cancel our flight to the UK.

If I get sick a few days before the trip, some Tylenol and I'll get free healthcare...

"
Overseas visitors to Scotland, regardless of their residency status, are exempt from NHS charges for both the diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19). "



https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/

 

[JustKickItForward]

My understanding from a couple on the Grand Princess we know indirectly - they were quarantined at a Calif military base, and recently released once passed 14 days without displaying any symptoms

 

[Golden sunsets]

Is anyone thinking about next winter yet? We spend 2 months each winter in Mexico. We came home early this year. We rent our condo, from the same private party every year and are now in the midst of completing payment of the 50% deposit for 2021. The final payments will be due in August, September and October. It is normally incredibly difficult to find a unit, so not paying the deposit would leave us no options for 2021. I'm now beginning to wonder if it will be safe to travel next winter.

 

[Nemo2]

BBC - Travel - The travel 'ache' you can’t translate

Every time I feel like I’ve reached the most remote place I’ve ever travelled, I hear “Guten tag”, and see a German rounding the corner, nonchalantly strolling by like he or she went for a walk around in their Munich or Hamburg neighbourhood, got pleasantly lost, and somehow ended up here in the wilds of western Ethiopia or below the peaks the Bolivian Andes. The more I traverse the globe, the more I realise that the Germans are the great travellers of the modern world.........//........But what if our lust for travel causes us a deep yearning pain, an ache that reminds us we have to get out and see the world? What if we’re trapped inside our homes because a virus has taken the Earth and its inhabitants hostage and we feel despair that we simply cannot travel at all?

Received this via e-mail this morning........had a flashback to a guy we encountered at a youth hostel in Europe, maybe Greece or Yugoslavia, in 1963.......he wore like a Boy Scout uniform, (in gray)....shorts,knee socks, a little dagger, and a beret....and claimed to be a member of 'The German Hitchhiking Army'......he might have been joking, (he was an odd fellow regardless).....but, then again...

 

[sengsational]

The relaxation open slot rules went into effect today 3/29/20 through 10/31/20 for the EU. So they don't have to fly those ghost flights. The UK authority is expect do the same. I hope the FAA does the same as there are still too many empty flights over North American airspace.

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...-fightback-airport-landing-rules-empty-planes

Airlines can only start cancelling their flights once the rules are lifted in the UK and USA.

I don't know enough about "open slot rules", but as I'm being introduced, I'm thinking it might be a good thing at my airport (CLT). We've had a pretty solid monopoly here for a long time, where the low cost airlines can't operate because they can't get a minimum number of gates to make their presence economically viable. Maybe this will shake it up a bit.

 

[Freedom56]

I don't know enough about "open slot rules", but as I'm being introduced, I'm thinking it might be a good thing at my airport (CLT). We've had a pretty solid monopoly here for a long time, where the low cost airlines can't operate because they can't get a minimum number of gates to make their presence economically viable. Maybe this will shake it up a bit.

Well the relaxation of the open slot rules in the EU is having some effect. Easyjet just grounded it's entire fleet today. Take a look at how many empty flights there are over the US compared to the rest of the world:

https://flightaware.com/live/

These airlines are being run by morons who are now seeking bailouts.

 

[luckydude]

Has anyone successfully gotten a refund from a cancelled Virgin Atlantic flight? I have a direct flight to London scheduled for 5/31 that I hope they will cancel so I can get my money back.

Lucky Dude

 

[RAE]

Is anyone thinking about next winter yet? We spend 2 months each winter in Mexico. We came home early this year. We rent our condo, from the same private party every year and are now in the midst of completing payment of the 50% deposit for 2021. The final payments will be due in August, September and October. It is normally incredibly difficult to find a unit, so not paying the deposit would leave us no options for 2021. I'm now beginning to wonder if it will be safe to travel next winter.

Well, we own a small home in Florida, and I'm certainly planning on heading back down there next November. We travel there by car, so I can't see anything at this point that would prevent us from making the trip. I have no doubt that the restrictions we are seeing now will be in place for a few more months yet, but I can't see them still being in place by late next Fall. If they are, the country will have a MUCH bigger problem (total economic collapse?) than whether I can drive to Florida or not.......

 

[luckydude]

A couple is our state is on this ship and bleating about how the government needs to help because it's awful. They also glibly say it wasn't THAT bad when got on the ship on March 8th. Quick poll, how many reading here now would have gotten on a cruise for an extended journey 3 weeks ago?

The latest on the two stricken cruise ships heading to Florida and hoping to be granted permission to dock:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...nd-America-cruise-ships-en-route-Florida.html

I feel sorry for these folks, but the sense of righteous indignation voiced by the passengers featured in this article for lack of help by others seems rather misplaced.

Lucky Dude

 

[luckydude]

Is anyone thinking about next winter yet? We spend 2 months each winter in Mexico. We came home early this year. We rent our condo, from the same private party every year and are now in the midst of completing payment of the 50% deposit for 2021. The final payments will be due in August, September and October. It is normally incredibly difficult to find a unit, so not paying the deposit would leave us no options for 2021. I'm now beginning to wonder if it will be safe to travel next winter.

I was planning a mountain biking trip to Peru in Nov with a couple of riding buddies, but the plans have been put on hold for now. Nov is shoulder season for tourism in Peru so there's plenty of time to see how the pandemic shakes out before booking flights and making reservations.

 

[Sunset]

Airbnb has changed their cancellation policy extending it out to the end of May.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article...cumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid19

"Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and May 31, 2020, may be canceled before check-in. This means that guests who cancel will receive, at their option, travel credit or a full cash refund, hosts can cancel without charge or impact to their Superhost status, and Airbnb will either refund, or issue travel credit in an amount that includes, all service fees."

So I logged in and cancelled, weirdly it says the host has 48 hrs to approve or not, and then I can decide to cancel or not
It further says if I cancel the airbnb service fee will be a future credit.

All of which is not what the policy says, still I'm hopeful, it will in the end be refunded.

 

[Trooper]

In looking at our travel insurance policy, it appears that his being laid off is covered as a reason to cancel the trip and get a refund on the airfare so that is the approach we'll try. I'm thinking it would be best to get a letter from the firm on its letterhead confirming his layoff situation. Anyone ever been able to use trip insurance in this way before?

We purchased trip insurance for the first time ever for a May European cruise which we are about to cancel - just waiting to see if the cruise gets canceled first. Of course we didn't buy CFAR (Cancel For any Reason) insurance, because we are retired and I thought "that's just for working folks whose job situation may warrant a cancellation". So we are out of luck.

However if you purchased CFAR - and it seems as though you have, if layoffs are covered - then you should be in luck. Just keep in mind that trip insurers are likely paying lots of claims right now and may be resistant to paying more.

 

[Trooper]

Take a look at how many empty flights there are over the US compared to the rest of the world:

https://flightaware.com/live/

Interesting. I see the large numbers of flights over the US, but how, from this link, do you know they're empty? Or is it a VERY educated guess?

Just noticed that a fair number are FEDEX and UPS planes.

 

[Ian S]

We purchased trip insurance for the first time ever for a May European cruise which we are about to cancel - just waiting to see if the cruise gets canceled first. Of course we didn't buy CFAR (Cancel For any Reason) insurance, because we are retired and I thought "that's just for working folks whose job situation may warrant a cancellation". So we are out of luck.

However if you purchased CFAR - and it seems as though you have, if layoffs are covered - then you should be in luck. Just keep in mind that trip insurers are likely paying lots of claims right now and may be resistant to paying more.

It actually wasn't CFAR as there were only certain situations spelled out. However, being terminated or laid off was one of these specific conditions. I'm trying to make sure we cross all our t's and dot all our i's in making the claim as I'm sure they will be trying every which way to deny it. The claim is only for $1700 so maybe they'll let it through. If it doesn't go through, they can be sure I will make sure travelers know about it!

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

We purchased trip insurance for the first time ever for a May European cruise which we are about to cancel - just waiting to see if the cruise gets canceled first. Of course we didn't buy CFAR (Cancel For any Reason) insurance, because we are retired and I thought "that's just for working folks whose job situation may warrant a cancellation". So we are out of luck.

However if you purchased CFAR - and it seems as though you have, if layoffs are covered - then you should be in luck. Just keep in mind that trip insurers are likely paying lots of claims right now and may be resistant to paying more.

A lawyer friend of mine opined that even CFAR may not pay up, as a pandemic would be classified as an "act of god", and most CFAR policies he had seen excluded AoGs.

 

[Sunset]

Airbnb has changed their cancellation policy extending it out to the end of May.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article...cumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid19

"Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and May 31, 2020, may be canceled before check-in. This means that guests who cancel will receive, at their option, travel credit or a full cash refund, hosts can cancel without charge or impact to their Superhost status, and Airbnb will either refund, or issue travel credit in an amount that includes, all service fees."

So I logged in and cancelled, weirdly it says the host has 48 hrs to approve or not, and then I can decide to cancel or not
It further says if I cancel the airbnb service fee will be a future credit.

All of which is not what the policy says, still I'm hopeful, it will in the end be refunded.

My host said no problem.
Airbnb emailed me, and said full refund back to CC

 

[Sunset]

We purchased trip insurance for the first time ever for a May European cruise which we are about to cancel - just waiting to see if the cruise gets canceled first. Of course we didn't buy CFAR (Cancel For any Reason) insurance, because we are retired and I thought "that's just for working folks whose job situation may warrant a cancellation". So we are out of luck.

However if you purchased CFAR - and it seems as though you have, if layoffs are covered - then you should be in luck. Just keep in mind that trip insurers are likely paying lots of claims right now and may be resistant to paying more.

Have you read the cancellation policy of the cruise line ?

Princess for example offered normal cancellation policy with a covid-19 change that means the cancellation fee would be a future Cruise Credit (FCC) instead of loss. Rest is refund.

Time is important, if you wait until the cruise is about to sail (for princess) then all is a FCC.
I cancelled my cruise just over 57 days from cruise (Baltic cruise) , so all is refund, except $200 of cancellation fee, which is FCC.

I would chose this vs hoping some insurance pays out.

 

[harllee]

My host said no problem.
Airbnb emailed me, and said full refund back to CC

I also got a full refund for my Airbnb rental starting May 1. The refund has already hit my credit card. Yah!

 

[Nemo2]

We're getting refunds from airbnbs that we haven't even booked with...they don't want us showing up at their door.

 

[Chuckanut]

A lawyer friend of mine opined that even CFAR may not pay up, as a pandemic would be classified as an "act of god", and most CFAR policies he had seen excluded AoGs.

Really? That does not sound like "Cancel for any reason" to me. Not that I am arguing with you. I do see this as another part of the Lawyer's Full Employment Act. I wonder what the settlement will be?

 

[Chuckanut]

We're getting refunds from airbnbs that we haven't even booked with...they don't want us showing up at their door.

Are you related to Groucho?

 

[Sunset]

A lawyer friend of mine opined that even CFAR may not pay up, as a pandemic would be classified as an "act of god", and most CFAR policies he had seen excluded AoGs.

That is solved by cancelling because "I changed my mind".

 

[Nemo2]

Are you related to Groucho?

"I wouldn't go to an airbnb that would have me as a guest."

 

[Independent]

In light of this pressing need and the unprecedented bailout — to the tune of $25 billion — that the airline industry just received from Congress, we believe your company has a moral responsibility to provide real refunds, not travel vouchers, to consumers,...

... Sens. Edward Markey, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Murphy, Sheldon Whitehouse, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Robert Casey, and Amy Klobuchar.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/la...efund-customers-for-coronavirus-cancellations

 

[NW-Bound]

Very bad news for people still stuck on cruise ships. Carnival said there were still 6,000 passengers still stranded in the water.

The U.S. Coast Guard has directed all cruise ships to prepare to treat any sick passengers and crew on board while being sequestered “indefinitely" offshore during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new rules require daily updates on each ship's coronavirus caseload for vessels in U.S. waters, and come with a stiff warning: Any foreign-flagged vessels “that loiter beyond U.S. territorial seas" should try first to medically evacuate the very sick to those countries instead...

... the Carnival Corp., which owns nine cruise lines with a total of 105 ships, notified the SEC Tuesday that it has more than 6,000 passengers still at sea, on three ships that will soon arrive in Fort Civitavecchia, Italy, and Southampton, England, as well as Fort Lauderdale.

The Zaandam of Holland America is seeking permit to dock at a Florida port. It carries 4 bodies, 9 tested positive, and 190 with symptoms. The Coral Princess is also heading to Florida with many passengers tested positive for flu, and having flu-like symptoms.

Officials are debating whether to allow the ships to dock for humanitarian reasons.