Coronavirus - Travel impacts II

[audreyh1]

Likewise. We bought our Delta First Class tickets last November for a flight to San Juan, PR to board a Viking, which we cancelled thanks in part to their great cancellation policy.
Delta, on the other hand, enforced 200/person change fee and issued a voucher that claimed to be good for a year. But, Delta starts count on date of purchase, so ours expire Nov 20, 2020.

That sucks that they use original date of purchase. At least United made the credit expiration good 1 year from when I changed our tickets.

 

[Independent]

This is on the Delta site today:

To ease customers who are uncertain about upcoming travel, we are now waiving change fees for:

Customers traveling both international and domestic through April 30 if the ticket was issued on or before March 9. (updated March 9)

https://news.delta.com/flight-changes-flexible-fee-waivers-and-more

 

[gattara]

Rick Steves just notified us that our April 3 - 13 tour of Sicily has been canceled. It is actually a relief that the decision has been made and we will get 100% refund. Now on to call Delta ...

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Granny may want the visit if she’s not long for this world anyway. The problem is exposing all the folks around granny. You really don’t want to do that.

I'm amazed/appalled to discover that the home Granny is in, has no criteria or screening process for visitors.

Granny has lost most of her marbles, sits around with a blank stare and can't remember who we are, but seems happy that we visit her.

BIL on the scene talked with her doctor this morning, they are going to set up hospice care but doc expects her to last a couple of months or more. By then, either the virus thing should be declining or bad enough that nobody goes anywhere.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[TrvlBug]

We had/have 3 trips planned this year. One, to Hawaii, we decided to push off until next year. A weekend getaway (drive to) next month is on. A cruise to Alaska for the fall is wait and see. Decision time for that is June when the payment is due.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We are stuck in Varenna. We could take a train to Milano, but there is no point.
Our AirBnB host has not mentioned charging us, but I do feel we should pay something. Giorgio has been great.
Our current concern is that the restaurants appear to be closing for the next 3 weeks.
British Airways has cancelled all flights from LIN and MXP.

Sorry to hear that. I hope the lock down helps over there and you can return home or to your previous travel plans soon.

 

[Brat]

Cruise ship obligations, this responsibility extends to all employees, not just licensed crew:

One of the oldest and most enduring rights enjoyed by seafarers is their right to free medical care. This right, called maintenance and cure, is so firmly established in maritime law, that it is an assumed part of every mariner’s employment contract. It is a right so fundamental that no mariner can give it away by contract.

Maintenance and cure is a basic and simple right. For centuries, seafarers have understood that if they become sick or are injured, their ship would pay for their medical care and living expenses until they were cured or reached maximum cure. In addition, they would receive their wages during their recuperation until maximum cure or until the end of their contract – whichever occurred first.

Unlike worker's compensation for land-based workers, there is no requirement in maintenance and cure for the sickness or injury to be work-related or job connected. Even injuries sustained by a seafarer on shore leave are covered by maintenance and cure. All that is required is that the illness or injury occurs during the term of employment. The only two exceptions to maintenance and cure are willful misconduct and intentionally concealing the medical condition from the employer at the time of employment.

 

[jollystomper]

Between May and August we have several family graduations and weddings occurring, all in states that have declared a state of emergency.

I am thinking not so much of us, but with the increasing amount of discouragement for/prohibition of large gatherings, how that will impact travel, particularly in May or June, for these types of events. I am not anticipating the spread and associated level of concern/panic to be diminished by then.

 

[NW-Bound]

I made the post below on Sat 3/7/2020.

At the current count as of Sat 2020/3/27, Wuhan has 67,707 cases with 2,986 deaths. That's a fatality rate of 4.4%.

Italy's current count is 5,883 cases, with 233 deaths. That's a fatality rate of 4.0%.

Note that even if you stop all contagion so there are no new cases, some of the people who are currently sick will get weaker and eventually succumb, driving the number higher. The WHO report says people in Wuhan who died lingered on for 2 to 8 weeks before death.

Just looking at the above numbers, one can see why Italy is in a real crisis now.

One interesting point to note: About 2/3 of the deaths in Italy are men. It's the same thing as observed in Wuhan.

Today is Monday 3/9/2020, two days later.

Current statistics:

Hubei: 67,743 confirmed cases, 3008 deaths
Italy: 9172 confirmed cases, 463 deaths.

 

[brewer12345]

And Italy just extended the quarantine to the entire country. Too bad they did not do it a week ago.

 

[Dtail]

And Italy just extended the quarantine to the entire country. Too bad they did not do it a week ago.

Can you imagine the whole USA being effectively quarantined?

 

[NW-Bound]

Wow! The order will take effect Tuesday. It is 10:30PM in Italy as of this moment.

Only essential travel is permitted. Travel to/from work is allowed, and public transportation still runs. It is nowhere as strict as in Wuhan.

 

[Rosie]

This is on the Delta site today:

https://news.delta.com/flight-changes-flexible-fee-waivers-and-more

Well, that's good to hear. Like a few of the posters above, I booked my flight to Montreal on Delta this past autumn. At least now I won't be dinged for the change fee if I cancel my trip next week.

Which is looking more and more likely. The Canadian news sites (CBC etc) are reporting the Quebec health ministry is evaluating whether to allow the World Figure Skating Championships to go ahead next week. I imagine now that it's hitting the mainstream Canadian news, a lot of people will be weighing in, esp considering many other events in Canada have been canceled already. Not to mention all of Italy is now essentially under lockdown.

I personally hope the event is canceled (or, spectators are excluded) for the simple fact that it takes the go/no go decision out of my hands. In the unlikely event that it does go on, I'm on the fence right now -- although I'm in very good health and not concerned for myself, I don't want to run the risk of transmitting it (or being quarantined) when I return from a week in an arena with thousands spectators from all over the world. Kind of like a cruise ship, but on land.

Reading what I just wrote, my decision is pretty obvious.

 

[walkinwood]

That sucks that they use original date of purchase. At least United made the credit expiration good 1 year from when I changed our tickets.

What did United charge in change fees?

We're scheduled to fly to Portugal at the end of this month. Waiting to see what happens since we still have almost 3 weeks to go.

 

[audreyh1]

What did United charge in change fees?

We're scheduled to fly to Portugal at the end of this month. Waiting to see what happens since we still have almost 3 weeks to go.

It was an international business class flight, and we had to delay our departure. We downgraded to economy plus as the business class prices had skyrocketed, so got substantial credit For future travel. They charged us $450 each in change fees!

I was reimbursed for the change fees a couple of weeks later when I submitted a letter from DF’s hospice organization that the family had been advised to change their travel plans at the time.

 

[TromboneAl]

>>Italy's current count is 5,883 cases,

Today is Monday 3/9/2020, two days later.

Current statistics:

Italy: 9172 confirmed cases

I think much of the math-challenged public is about to get a lesson in exponential growth. The jumps are going to be shocking.

Many of us here understand it because that's how we retired (compounding).

 

[Dtail]

Wow! The order will take effect Tuesday. It is 10:30PM in Italy as of this moment.

Only essential travel is permitted. Travel to/from work is allowed, and public transportation still runs. It is nowhere as strict as in Wuhan.

What about food shopping?

 

[Aerides]

**Mod Note**

While this thread has of course devolved from the idea of a place to actually discuss travel impacts to....something...else, please keep guns and elections and any other other stretch-tangential-temptations out of it, to allow it to have a chance to continue.

***

 

[gwraigty]

What about food shopping?

I'm curious about that also. Buying food is somewhat essential.

 

[Peter]

I have to say Delta has been great about it. Refunding nonrefundable airfares is a big part of it.
They now have a website that talks about what they're doing.

As I read the linked website they are only waiving change fees for flights booked in March. Great news for those who booked their flights before the virus crisis built up. Not.

 

[Rosie]

As I read the linked website they are only waiving change fees for flights booked in March. Great news for those who booked their flights before the virus crisis built up. Not.

Not true as of today. The policy has been extended to all tickets issued on or before March 9, 2020, for travel dates between March 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020

Check the notices dated March 9 on the Delta site, and see post #503 above

 

[sengsational]

Airline Refund Policies

If an airline cancels your flight, then they did not deliver the service, and I suspect the passenger is due a refund (none of this credit towards future travel BS).

Usually my "logic" is full of holes (just ask DW), but here's the way I see it... Looking at an example flight's reservations, say, a month from now, pretty much every seat that was going to be purchased has been purchased. The airline sees that the plane has too few people to make a profit. But they don't want to give you your money back. What does the airline do? Well, they DON'T cancel the flight now! They wait for YOU to cancel! But they've offered no additional incentive to do so (they have never offered any big incentive to cancel...you might as well be a no-show). Would it be possible that an airline would leave the flight 'on the books', and hope for a bunch of no-shows, and only THEN cancel the flight, so the no-shows would be due no money, but those who got themselves to the airport get the free change or refund?

So far, the airlines look very tight fisted and typically customer hostile. The airline change policies in light of the pandemic seem designed simply to keep collecting revenue from virus-wary travelers. If anyone has any more info on this, I'd think this would be a useful thing to share in this thread.

This isn't a complete list, but here's a sampling of what I found:

• American Airlines
  • Free change on tickets bought after the travel problem was obvious (March 5).
• United Airlines
  • Free change or future credit on tickets bought after the travel problem was obvious (March 6). The credit is good for one year from the original purchase date.
• Delta Airlines
  • One free change or future credit on tickets bought after the travel problem was obvious (March 1). The credit is good for one year from the original purchase date.
  • UPDATE: the change/credit is good on tickets bought before and after the travel problem was obvious.
• Frontier Airlines
  • One change or cancellation fee waived for flights up to March 16, but change can't be past June 1.
• Southwest Airlines
  • No change fees anyway, so no change. No word on cancellation.
• Spirit Airlines
  • No word on any changes.

What I'd really like to see is an airline who just gives you your money back for tickets purchased well-before any of this pandemic stuff was a thing. I doubt that's going to happen, but so far, no airline seems to be offering anything close to that.

 

[camfused]

I just checked my EasyJet flight from Venice to Paris in early April (I have not cancelled any of the flights yet). I have 3 seats and there are only 7 others taken, on the whole plane. Yet, EasyJet has not cancelled the flight. Even if they do, i'll be surprised if I get a refund out of it, because, let's face it, its EasyJet.

Still hoping that Delta and Air France cancel my other flights. I wish Italy would prohibit incoming flights, now that the whole country is locked down. What on earth do they expect people to do when they land!

 

[Peter]

Not true as of today. The policy has been extended to all tickets issued on or before March 9, 2020, for travel dates between March 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020

Check the notices dated March 9 on the Delta site, and see post #503 above

Thanks, Rosie. I didn't get as far as the bit about travel dates. Sadly, our flights are booked for May. Maybe Delta will extend the time window, since I can't imagine that the crisis will have passed by then.

 

[Freedom56]

Here are the rules regarding cancellation refunds:



Refunds

The almost universal policy is that regardless of cause, when an airline cancels your flight, you have a right to a full refund of the remaining value of your ticket. Refunds are in the same form as ticket purchase: cash or credit to credit card.

If your flight is cancelled and they can't put you on anther flight within a 90 minute window, you are entitled to a full refund. This has happened to us in the past where we booked a non-refundable business class ticket on a flight from LAX to FRA and we were notified a month before the flight that the airline decided not to operate the flight during the summer season. They offered to put us on an alternate flight leaving on another date or a full refund. We took the full refund.

If you on the other hand decide to cancel on your own, you are then SOL.

We have no plans to cancel our ticket and will leave it to the airline to make their move. The last thing an airline wants to do is lose a paying business class customer so I don't believe that they will raise a fuss if the cancel the flight and we ask for a full refund.