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Coronavirus Impact on Travel

idigTexas

By idigTexas
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Landomatic

Landomatic 3813

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, Saint Austin said:

In January we booked flights to Rome for late July. Anybody want to handicap the chances of that country (or ours, for that matter) being up and running by then?

Hope I’m wrong but there’s no way in hell you take that trip as planned.  Pretty sure first documented case was in November (which means it started sooner) in China and they are nowhere near that level of “back to normal” so just do the math.  Sorry man

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Hank_Hill
Hank_Hill

Pulling for Trump to get the corona personally. That rotted sack of potatoes has to have near HIV level immunity. 

Doug E. Fresh
Doug E. Fresh

Yep, heading over in a little over 12 hours. Lived there before (and in Scotland) from ‘05 to ‘11 so am a naturalized citizen with dual passports. It’s been a goal to get back for many years and that’

VABuckeye
VABuckeye

I've been thinking about typing this all day.  Well, here I go.   We like to brag about the "greatest generation" and shit on other generations.  Here is our chance to do what they did.  Mak

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Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15477

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

Did you ever decide on an itinerary?

Yeah. We're doing a couple days at the Shu'mata Camp near Kilimanjaro and then flying to the Four Seasons Serengeti for four nights.  Then we're going up to Kenya to the Angama Mara for five nights.

Then we're flying down to Victoria Falls for a few nights before going to Cape Town and flying home.

Of course, that's what we were doing.

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8600

Posted
Posted
On 3/19/2020 at 7:06 AM, Telegraph_it said:

The mayor (or police chief or someone) of Guayaquil says watch me. 


Apparently blocking the runway in Guayaquil wasn't enough to keep the virus out.


Bodies are being left in the streets in an overwhelmed Ecuadorian city

(CNN)The streets of Ecuador's western city of Guayaquil are deserted, with few residents in sight -- and a few dead, as bodies are being left in the streets of this overwhelmed place. 

The coronavirus pandemic is overloading the public services in the country's most populous city to a point of collapse. Hospitals have no beds left to accept sick patients, and morgues, cemeteries and funeral homes are straining. With no place left to put them, some residents say they have no choice but placing them outside.
It's unclear how many of the deceased are dying because of Covid-19. Many families say their loved ones had symptoms of the virus, while others only know the ill were unable to be treated at Guayaquil's overwhelmed hospitals.
"We have been waiting for five days," Fernando Espana said in a video obtained by Reuters on March 30, as he complained about the struggles to have authorities come pick up his family member.
"We are tired of calling 911 and the only thing they tell us is to wait, they are working to solve this," he continues as he moves the camera through a window to show a black plastic-wrapped shape inside the home, with two fans blowing on it. 
A coffin containing the body of a person who is supposed to have died from Covid-19 lays wrapped in plastic and covered with cardboard, outside a block of family apartments in Guayaquil on April 2.
 
A coffin containing the body of a person who is supposed to have died from Covid-19 lays wrapped in plastic and covered with cardboard, outside a block of family apartments in Guayaquil on April 2.
The smell is too much to take. "It's the odor from the body that one can no longer handle," Espana's neighbor, Glenda Larrea Vera says in the same video, from across the street and behind a mask. "And we also have neighbors that are elderly. I have my mother who is 80 who is also having respiratory problems." 
Video surveillance from last week obtained by CNN shows a motorcyclist abandon a body in the street. Hours later, a group of people, dressed in special hazmat suits are seen picking up the deceased, then driving off in a vehicle...
 

 

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Js1

Js1 85095

Posted
Posted
On 4/2/2020 at 5:15 PM, hornbri said:

What is the risk? We will be able to travel by then and if they cancel the flight because it is a mistake they will refund you. 

They did cancel everyone who booked it. Getting roasted for not honoring it.

I was going to fly business each way with points so no skin off my back 

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achooloco

achooloco 1065

Posted
Posted
20 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

I think I'm good for now.  I have a fresh keg of Sculpin.

There really should be a "jealous" rep option. A rando restaurant around her carries (carried?) habanero sculpin.  Thought it would suck but damn, for me it's definitely worth the corona risk to go and do some carry out.

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TXSG8R

TXSG8R 3360

Posted
Posted

Booked my trip to Germany with chase rewards for 10-19 Apr.  Finally got into the window where Chase will even talk to me about the refund.  Chase cant reclaim the points because United has to release them for a refund.  Called United, and they very politely told me theres no chance in hell they will refund anything, so I can choose between a United-only digital voucher that lasts almost 3 years, or a United family voucher thats only good for 1 year.  Pretty god damn frustrating that something like this isnt covered in the travel cancellation policy.  So now my very flexible points are locked into a fucking voucher on one airline. 

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1736

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, TXSG8R said:

Booked my trip to Germany with chase rewards for 10-19 Apr.  Finally got into the window where Chase will even talk to me about the refund.  Chase cant reclaim the points because United has to release them for a refund.  Called United, and they very politely told me theres no chance in hell they will refund anything, so I can choose between a United-only digital voucher that lasts almost 3 years, or a United family voucher thats only good for 1 year.  Pretty god damn frustrating that something like this isnt covered in the travel cancellation policy.  So now my very flexible points are locked into a fucking voucher on one airline. 

I have almost $1200 in AA credit and another $521 credit on AA booked through my Citi Points. (Business travel and a canceled trip to PHX for Spring Training) No refund, but they’ll let me redeem everything before 12/31/20. Problem is, I’ll either be too busy at work to take a vacation or won’t have a job and won’t feel like taking a vacation. When I have to cancel Turks & Caicos for July, I’m going to Scrooge McDuck into all my useless vouchers and credits of places I can’t travel to.

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TXSG8R

TXSG8R 3360

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Spankytoes said:

I have almost $1200 in AA credit and another $521 credit on AA booked through my Citi Points. (Business travel and a canceled trip to PHX for Spring Training) No refund, but they’ll let me redeem everything before 12/31/20. Problem is, I’ll either be too busy at work to take a vacation or won’t have a job and won’t feel like taking a vacation. When I have to cancel Turks & Caicos for July, I’m going to Scrooge McDuck into all my useless vouchers and credits of places I can’t travel to.

Yea, I took the  digital voucher that locks me into United just because of the 3 year window versus the 1 year window on the United group (I was originally flying Lufthansa).  I asked the rep what would happen if I took the group voucher and this stuff lasts another 6+ months, would I be stuck having to book in that remaining 6- month window?  She said she thinks they would adjust things as the COVID-19 window changes, but she couldnt give me a firm answer that they would extend that window to 12 months from whenever the COVID-19 travel restrictions end.  So I have $1400 in a United voucher that I get to try to book at some point down the road, and likely try to coordinate that booking with my wife being added (she couldnt go on this trip because of STAAR testing).  Super shitty.  

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VABuckeye

VABuckeye 2472

Posted
Posted

Experiences with several different airlines and Hilton.  This was all for a trip to Spain this May.  We are hoping to rebook it to September.  Fingers tightly crossed.

Hilton - points refunded immediately

Aeromexico - flights extended out to February 20, 2021.  I can change them at no cost to any date between now and then.

Iberia - All Avios and fees to be refunded to my account less a 40 euro change fee per person.

British Air - All Avios immediately credited to my account.

Delta - eCredit issued that is good until 1/21/21.

I spent almost two hours on the phone with AeroMexico.  Calls to the other airlines were brief.  I received no resistance from any of them.

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 104557

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

We have a 6-day weekend and nowhere to go.  This is a bummer.  I'd like to be in Scotland or south Spain right now.  Or maybe early season trip to Croatia.

Have you looked into your guest bedroom?  Perhaps your back patio?  I've heard wonderful things about it in all the brochures.

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8600

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, TXSG8R said:

Booked my trip to Germany with chase rewards for 10-19 Apr.  Finally got into the window where Chase will even talk to me about the refund.  Chase cant reclaim the points because United has to release them for a refund.  Called United, and they very politely told me theres no chance in hell they will refund anything, so I can choose between a United-only digital voucher that lasts almost 3 years, or a United family voucher thats only good for 1 year.  Pretty god damn frustrating that something like this isnt covered in the travel cancellation policy.  So now my very flexible points are locked into a fucking voucher on one airline. 

 

12 hours ago, Spankytoes said:

I have almost $1200 in AA credit and another $521 credit on AA booked through my Citi Points. (Business travel and a canceled trip to PHX for Spring Training) No refund, but they’ll let me redeem everything before 12/31/20. Problem is, I’ll either be too busy at work to take a vacation or won’t have a job and won’t feel like taking a vacation. When I have to cancel Turks & Caicos for July, I’m going to Scrooge McDuck into all my useless vouchers and credits of places I can’t travel to.

 

12 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

same.  $2,200 on AA, $600 on Virgin Australia and another Europe trip booked for July that will most likely leave me with $700 on United.

Airlines Now Have to Provide Refunds to Passengers With Cancelled Flights Due to Coronavirus

If 2020 was supposed to be a big travel year for you but your plans got completely shattered by the coronavirus pandemic, here’s a silver lining: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has mandated that airlines give full refunds to passengers with cancelled flights or significant delays.

The announcement comes after a series of complaints from ticketed passengers who were denied refunds and only offered vouchers or credits for future travel. The order applies to all flights to, within, or from the United States.

“Airlines have long provided such refunds, including during periods when air travel has been disrupted on a large scale, such as the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and presidentially declared natural disasters,” the DOT said in an enforcement notice. “Although the COVID-19 public health emergency has had an unprecedented impact on air travel, the airlines’ obligation to refund passengers for cancelled or significantly delayed flights remains unchanged.”

For now, the Aviation Enforcement Office will hold off on doling out any violations so that airline carriers can have the “opportunity to become compliant before taking further action,” according to the notice.

Airlines can still offer credits, but passengers must be made aware that they have the option to receive a refund if they want one. If you want to hang onto those credits as an excuse to rebook all of your future adventures, go for it. Not about that? Free your mind of worry—you can now get your refund.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/airlines-now-refunds-passengers-cancelled-171500510.html

 

 

 

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32318

Posted
Posted

My wife is going to go through the motions tomorrow of getting all of our Fast Passes for our Disney World trip scheduled for mid June.  She's 99% certain we are not going, but wants to have them in case miracle drug X comes about between now and then. She knows the chances of that are slim and none.

I haven't canceled our July trip to Vegas...yet.

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

My wife is going to go through the motions tomorrow of getting all of our Fast Passes for our Disney World trip scheduled for mid June.  She's 99% certain we are not going, but wants to have them in case miracle drug X comes about between now and then. She knows the chances of that are slim and none.

I haven't canceled our July trip to Vegas...yet.

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires ........

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kevwun

kevwun 15621

Posted
Posted

So your flight has to be cancelled before you can get a refund?  I already cancelled a Southwest flight to Nola, but I got a good deal on that one and was fine with a credit.  We still have tickets for Belize in June and the Galapagos in August that I wouldn't mind a refund for if it comes to that.  Belize is doing ok from what I have seen, but Ecuador not so much.

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Js1

Js1 85095

Posted
Posted
29 minutes ago, kevwun said:

So your flight has to be cancelled before you can get a refund?  I already cancelled a Southwest flight to Nola, but I got a good deal on that one and was fine with a credit.  We still have tickets for Belize in June and the Galapagos in August that I wouldn't mind a refund for if it comes to that.  Belize is doing ok from what I have seen, but Ecuador not so much.

Yes. You don’t usually get a refund if you cancel it 

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TXSG8R

TXSG8R 3360

Posted
Posted (edited)

Took close to 30 minutes to get to the first supervisor.  On hold while she contacts another department about this.  Looks like United is being particularly stubborn about this, the supervisor was claiming just as much ignorance as the level 1 support people.  

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/police-officer-sues-united-airlines-ticket-refunds/story?id=70018998

 

Edit:  After 15 minutes the supervisor came back and said it will be back on my card in 7-10 business days.  They are making you work for it.  

Edited by TXSG8R
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sunset87

sunset87 240

Posted
Posted
On 3/5/2020 at 8:29 AM, Leeroy Jenkins said:

 


Apparently they waived the amount of time in advance needed to make changes. I don’t know all of the details but the change was made just yesterday morning according to our group leader. We are looking to late June or early July depending on how all of this goes.

We booked a European trip through EF Ultimate Break back in November for a trip in May for our daughter, and paid for the trip insurance.  They are telling us we can receive credit and book another trip, but if we cancel they keep about 15% of the total cost.  She can't go any time this summer or next and has no idea about her future schedule because of graduating from college in 2 years, so we want the refund.

It seems like 15% of the total cost of the trip would be close to their profit margin in normal times.  They say they are taking losses from having to cancel hotels, etc..., but I would think they would have insurance for that scenario.  Feels like they aren't losing much of anything if you cancel, even if you bought the trip insurance.

Are you still going on your trip?

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Leeroy Jenkins

Leeroy Jenkins 2389

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, sunset87 said:

We booked a European trip through EF Ultimate Break back in November for a trip in May for our daughter, and paid for the trip insurance.  They are telling us we can receive credit and book another trip, but if we cancel they keep about 15% of the total cost.  She can't go any time this summer or next and has no idea about her future schedule because of graduating from college in 2 years, so we want the refund.

It seems like 15% of the total cost of the trip would be close to their profit margin in normal times.  They say they are taking losses from having to cancel hotels, etc..., but I would think they would have insurance for that scenario.  Feels like they aren't losing much of anything if you cancel, even if you bought the trip insurance.

Are you still going on your trip?

I am not going anywhere this summer so I am not sure what we are going to do.  Probably just take the hit and try and get as much money back as possible.  

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South Austin

South Austin 52129

Posted
Posted

We had to pull the plug on our Rosemary Beach trip with two other families.  Our house was booked the week of May 31, but it was just too close to know whether things would be back to "normal" in Florida, i.e, beaches and restaurants open.  The only option we had for this same house was early August, but it didn't work out for all three families, so we rebooked for 2021 and the owner gave us $1,000 of the total.

So now I'm booking a hypothetical long weekend in San Francisco sometime mid to late July.  I have no idea what San Francisco will look like then, and whether any of the restaurants on my draft itinerary will be re-opened or will have shut down for good.  But it's at least giving me something to look forward to and cure the boredom.

Fuck you, COVID-19.

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wild_turkey

wild_turkey 3152

Posted
Posted
We had to pull the plug on our Rosemary Beach trip with two other families.  Our house was booked the week of May 31, but it was just too close to know whether things would be back to "normal" in Florida, i.e, beaches and restaurants open. 


Were you up against a cancellation cutoff date? I think it’s 50/50 things are open again by that point, and it seems that overall public opinion is shifting more in that direction the last few days.
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CooterBrown

CooterBrown 17904

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Getting ready to book flights to LAX from AUS on July 3-11.  Holy crap, they're cheap -- like $104 each way.  Now, whether that trip will HAPPEN....that remains to be seen.  But I think I'm gonna book it.

Sigh.

They were $59 round trip a few weeks ago.

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 104557

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

They were $59 round trip a few weeks ago.

Not for July flights.  Near-term flights were cheap as hell, but pricing for summer trips was still somewhat hopeful.  I mean, I guess it still is a bit hopeful. I'm going to buy my tickets with points, and hope for the best.

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