Coronavirus Impact on Travel

[CooterBrown 17,901]

Friday. No charge to change. We are using EF Tours. They changed their policy apparently today about changing dates.

What’s the policy change? My wife and daughter are doing a tour with EF Tours in June.

[4th&Five 41,457]

1 hour ago, conVINCEd said:

How aggressive did you have to get?

I tried with the host first and she wasn’t agreeing. Once I wrote Airbnb directly it wasn’t too bad.

[justhookit 4,174]

13 minutes ago, ernest_t_bass said:

We fly from Chicago to San Jose, Costa Rica on 3/22, then back to states 3/28.  What is the likelihood we hit any travel snags b/c of this thing?  I have not paid attention to any of it even slightly. 

Oops I replied on the other thread before you edited 

Basically I would expect no problems and any you would possibly encounter would be because of travel shutdowns in the U.S. I have friends or friends of friends that are traveling back and forth between here and there daily. If I hear of any issues i’ll definitely post it here. 

 

 

[AustinMT 952]

7 hours ago, tfoolry said:

I had a 20 minute Online chat with easyjet on Monday regarding flight from Paris to Milan in May & they refused full refund or to waive change fees which would be 1/2 the cost of flights.  I asked for manager before I charge it back to CC & they disconnected chat. I’ll wait to see if they cancel it but will only be out $150 if they don’t.  

Which airlines? I have a flight from Paris to MIlan on Air France in mid-April that I am considering trying to change

Edited March 5, 2020 by AustinMT

[EuroHorn 3,204]

41 minutes ago, AustinMT said:

Which airlines? I have a flight from Paris to MIlan on Air France in mid-April that I am considering trying to change

You at least have an easy jet to work with.

[Leeroy Jenkins 2,380]

What’s the policy change? My wife and daughter are doing a tour with EF Tours in June.

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.

[BrazilHorn 6,576]

En route back to Austin from Vancouver. Work just canceled big spring conference so that is good news as those are always plague zones in normal times. 
 

I’m shutting down my work travel the next couple of weeks just to see where things land. Will be nice to be off road for a little bit. 

[tfoolry 8,179]

7 hours ago, AustinMT said:

Which airlines? I have a flight from Paris to MIlan on Air France in mid-April that I am considering trying to change

You’ll have no prob as Air France is a Major with codeshare in place with Delta.  Easyjet is a POS LCC with no conscious.  That’s why our flights were less than $100 round trip.  

[VABuckeye 2,472]

It looks like we're canceling Spain in May and switching to Jost van Dyke.  I can live with that.  I love Jost.

[Continental Op 3,934]

You can get to Vegas for cheap

https://cheapdfw.com/nonstop-flights-dallas-to-from-las-vegas-87-r-t-american-airlines/

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,092]

It looks like we're canceling Spain in May and switching to Jost van Dyke.  I can live with that.  I love Jost.

Why?

[b_p 450]

I’m traveling through Narita just now. I’ve never seen this place so quiet. The sushi bar near gate 34 is normally a 15-30 minute wait to get a seat. There are literally 6 people here today. All because of the flu. Unbelievable 

[VABuckeye 2,472]

8 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

14 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

It looks like we're canceling Spain in May and switching to Jost van Dyke.  I can live with that.  I love Jost.

Why?

I'm 59 and have a couple of health issues.  I'm healthy atm but I also understand this virus is much harder on people like me that have underlying issues.  We're not there yet.  I can give it a few more weeks before we maka a final decision.

[next2naus 436]

have trips to Austin, Miami, Eze France and Venice Italy. So far ATX and MIA and Eza are still on, not so sure about Italy. While lovely and all, Italy is 3rd World government at best and some of the reports about they are mishandling this are alarming. Well, it would be alarming if it wasn't Italy. We know some Study Abroad kids who were in Mi.an and the guidance there was "self quarantine in your dorm". 

[StruggleBus 3,922]

20 minutes ago, next2naus said:

have trips to Austin, Miami, Eze France and Venice Italy. So far ATX and MIA and Eza are still on, not so sure about Italy. While lovely and all, Italy is 3rd World government at best and some of the reports about they are mishandling this are alarming. Well, it would be alarming if it wasn't Italy. We know some Study Abroad kids who were in Mi.an and the guidance there was "self quarantine in your dorm". 

Sounds a lot like how it's being handled here

[gyroprotagonist 2,591]

so with a known case in CO where the guy skied at Keystone and Vail (stayed in Keystone) is anyone rethinking spring break plans that were going there?

[conVINCEd 21,468]

Looking like I may have to come up with an alternative to a couple of weeks in Italy this summer.

[HenryJames 65,884]

1 hour ago, conVINCEd said:

Looking like I may have to come up with an alternative to a couple of weeks in Italy this summer.

What about Italy, Texas?

[Thetexashammer 1,062]

49 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

What about Italy, Texas?

Rhome is lovely in August.

[AustinMT 952]

Anecdotal evidence from today.

Austin terminal at 7:30 this morning:

 

Terminal D at DFW at about 10:00.  Yes, Terminal D is teh least congested, but it was almost empty today:

 

[wild_turkey 3,150]

St Barth in June.
Côte d’Azur in July.

I can stomach missing the South of France but I’ll cut someone if I miss my annual St. Barth trip.

[conVINCEd 21,468]

6 hours ago, HenryJames said:

What about Italy, Texas?

If I’m going to do Europe without leaving home I’m going with Paris.  Got some kinfolk there.

[Woland 729]

The flight I am monitoring for Helsinki in September just dropped from $1021 to $685. Trying to decide if I should pull the trigger. It's will be easy for me to delay the trip, but I would want to wait a whole year because one of the things I want to see is the fall colors in Lapland. My friend also wants to go to St. Petersburg which will probably be a bit more iffy.

I just got back from a trip to Orlando where I was sick for three days, and my white blood cell count was low at my last check-up, so I may be in a higher-risk group now (sometimes it sucks getting older.)

I feel for everyone here debating their travel plans.

[Ghost of Shag 2,577]

10th anniversary is this week. Supposed to take a four day cruise to Cozumel on RC. Still leaning toward going but monitoring the situation. RC is offering credit to anyone who cancels 48 hours before their departure.

[HookEm 2,442]

Driving the family on a road trip to DC over spring break. Not worried at all. Hopefully everything will be uncrowded.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

1 hour ago, Ghost of Shag said:

10th anniversary is this week. Supposed to take a four day cruise to Cozumel on RC. Still leaning toward going but monitoring the situation. RC is offering credit to anyone who cancels 48 hours before their departure.

I’m not one to go into hysterics about these pandemic outbreaks, and perhaps it’s because I’m biased because I loathe cruises, but there’s no way I would get on that boat. 

One person gets sick and then it spreads and then you’re stuck in your room on that boat for weeks. That’s what hell looks like.

[bigcigar 1,161]

I’ve got a bad feeling this is going to interrupt my vegas trip for March Madness.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,799]

2 hours ago, Ghost of Shag said:

10th anniversary is this week. Supposed to take a four day cruise to Cozumel on RC. Still leaning toward going but monitoring the situation. RC is offering credit to anyone who cancels 48 hours before their departure.

Change your name to Ghost of Surl before you get on that boat.

 

Id hard pass, take the credit, use it next year

Edited March 7, 2020 by MNLonghornFUKM

[Telegraph_it 3,353]

17 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

I’ve got a bad feeling this is going to interrupt my vegas trip for March Madness.

It already did for me. Conference cancelled in Vegas that I was planning to roll into March Madness over the weekend. 

[justhookit 4,174]

3 hours ago, Ghost of Shag said:

10th anniversary is this week. Supposed to take a four day cruise to Cozumel on RC. Still leaning toward going but monitoring the situation. RC is offering credit to anyone who cancels 48 hours before their departure.

Were you dropped on your head as a child? They could offer me free cruises for life and I wouldn’t get on that boat.

[VABuckeye 2,472]

3 hours ago, Ghost of Shag said:

10th anniversary is this week. Supposed to take a four day cruise to Cozumel on RC. Still leaning toward going but monitoring the situation. RC is offering credit to anyone who cancels 48 hours before their departure.

The one thing for sure I would not be doing right now is getting on a cruise ship.  They're giant petri dishes and it'a already proven that they are one of the biggest spreaders of the virus.

[4th&Five 41,457]

Same. I’m flying internationally next week and I wouldn’t think about a cruise. We already have multiple examples of what could happen. 

[conVINCEd 21,468]

I have some good news and some bad news.  The good news is you tested negative.  The bad news is you are going to be quarantined on this ship for an indeterminate amount of time with 21 people who have already tested positive.  We’ll be back in a week to do another round of tests.  Goodbye and good luck.

[VABuckeye 2,472]

I received this from United this morning. I consider you part of our United family and your safety remains our highest priority. We are in the business of serving people and in the midst of this coronavirus outbreak it's important that we give you as much flexibility as possible when planning your next trip. But it's also important that we give you as much information as possible about the procedures we follow to clean our aircraft and maintain a sanitary environment once we're in the air. Our teams are in daily contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), federal agencies and other global health organizations to share the most up-to-the-minute information to ensure the actions we're taking are comprehensive and appropriate. So today, I wanted to personally reach out and share a few of the steps we are taking for you, our customer: Before you fly To give you the greatest flexibility, when you book any flight with us now through March 31, you can change it for free over the next 12 months – any ticket, any fare type, any destination. On the ground Our team of in-house medical experts and industrial hygienists oversee our aircraft cleaning procedures to ensure they meet or exceed all CDC guidelines. Hard surfaces such as lavatories, tray tables, window shades and armrests are thoroughly wiped down with a high-grade disinfectant and multi-purpose cleaner. And when we are advised by the CDC of a person who has traveled on board and is potentially exhibiting coronavirus symptoms, that aircraft is taken out of service and sent through a full decontamination process that includes our standard cleaning procedures plus washing ceilings and overhead bins and scrubbing the interior. In the air Our aircraft are equipped with state-of-the-art circulation systems, similar to those found in hospitals, which use a high-efficiency (HEPA) filter to circulate the air and remove more than 99% of airborne particles. We're also adjusting our inflight service to limit person-to-person contamination. This includes handing beverages directly to customers instead of allowing customers to touch a tray and ensuring all flight attendants wear gloves during service. More information on each of these efforts can be found on the United Hub. I know I speak for every member of our United family when I say that we take the greatest pride in the role we play in the lives of our customers, personally and professionally. I want you to know that you can continue to rely on us. So, the next time we have the privilege of welcoming you aboard our aircraft, you can know our commitment to you remains as steadfast as ever.

Kind regards,

Oscar Munoz CEO

[HenryJames 65,884]

2 hours ago, justhookit said:

Were you dropped on your head as a child? They could offer me free cruises for life and I wouldn’t get on that boat.

Never get on the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were goin' all the way.

[Shady Ray 1,633]

Flew from DC to Zurich on Friday on Swiss. Business was basically empty. I’d say 1/8th full.

Took a peek out to see how the plebes were livin’ in economy. Was a third full.

[Bartles 769]

American is also doing the no-change-fees for fares booked by March 31. Taking advantage of that to book whatever 2020 work trips I can confirm during March. Fares are way down too, and maybe could go lower. I suspect they'll extend the no-change policy well into the spring. But I also suspect a lot of flights will cancel eventually due to lack of fliers, so we will have to make a bunch of (free) changes.

[DaysOff 7,843]

In Paris now. Maintaining social distances is not a problem. I wouldn't call the city deserted but it ain't crowded. Newark was a ghost town yesterday for the first day of spring break. The good news is I got six people in Polaris last night. The bad news is we're all gonna die if you read the DT thread.

[ernest_t_bass 1,196]

We're just going to take the shit out of airborne chewables until our trip, wash our hands probably 339 times per day.  We'll go with zero bans.  If there are bans, we better get our fucking money back.

[DDD Dad 14,243]

24 minutes ago, ernest_t_bass said:

We're just going to take the shit out of airborne chewables until our trip, wash our hands probably 339 times per day.  We'll go with zero bans.  If there are bans, we better get our fucking money back.

What are airborne chewable?

[VABuckeye 2,472]

Airborne Chewables

[The Dog 43,784]

We're still going to Disney for spring break. Because of cancellations was able to use miles to book flights for free (instead of driving). 

So just hoping they keep the park(s) open...Tokyo Disney is re-opening next week so that's a promising sign.

[Junior Miller 1,502]

I'd reschedule any trips to summer if I can get it cheaply. It likely will plow through the US in the next three months infecting a few million then die down around mid June. If the US actually does the smart thing and cancels school and any large gatherings if could slow down sooner. Chances are of it mutates it'll be to a weaker and less lethal version so getting it months down the road would probably be preferable. 

No way in hell I go anywhere near a plane in next three months. Or a boat for far longer. 

[HRSchenker 2,258]

Right now is probably the best time to travel that you'll ever get. We went to Hong Kong during the peak of the democracy protests and had a blast. Tourist locations had no lines at all. The hour wait to Victoria Peak ended up being 10 seconds. Hiking trails were empty. We even got to try some Michelin star restaurants with no wait whatsoever. 

[VABuckeye 2,472]

The good news.  There's no better time.

The bad news.  I could get really sick and die and I stand the possibility of an extra two weeks confined to my home when I return regardless.

[VABuckeye 2,472]

I've been checking airline policies.  For our trip n May we have flights on Delta, AeroMexico and Iberia.  Every airline seems to be hedging their bets right now.  They're all acting as is things will be back to normal in May.  I guess they really can't go out further but I suspect is things have worsened or certainly not shown seriour improvement by the ened of March that they'll extend the dates for relief from extra charges for another month.  

[Francisco 2.0 32,313]

Two trips this summer (Disneyworld and Vegas) but wife and I started talking about contingencies.  She has the sads.

 

 

[hornbri 1,369]

We are still supposed to go to Whistler next week and I think we will keep it, I am more worried about Disneyland in late may being cancelled if they close the park. 

[Deej 76,524]

3 minutes ago, hornbri said:

We are still supposed to go to Whistler next week and I think we will keep it, I am more worried about Disneyland in late may being cancelled if they close the park. 

 

[GHOSTUSER 361]

Have a trip planned to Turkey in April. We are supposed to have family reunion with family from Iran join us. That’s gone to shit as no one from Iran can come. Our airfare on Turkish Air and hotels are non-cancellable. Amazingly, Turkey still does not have a reported case. We are still planning on going but I’m expecting shit to hit the fan with an outbreak in Turkey and for this trip to get scuttled.