As coronavirus has devastated the world with over one million cases and 80,000 deaths being reported, travel bans, quarantines, and social distancing have left our travel plans up in the air.
And quite frankly, it’s confusing! Knowing where and when it’s safe to travel and being up-to-date on flight canceling and refund policies add more stress to trip planning. When you’re out of the loop, you could overspend and put your health at risk.
That’s why Eclectic Emissary is launching a new series of COVID-19 travel updates solely dedicated to providing the essential information you need before your next trip. Our community of travelers, along with the rest of the world, deserve a simple place to stay informed on news that will safely guide us to our next destination…
Especially if it’s not the sofa.
Here’s what you need to know about traveling right now:
Airlines have tweaked their cancellation and refund policies lately.
Airlines primarily operating in countries with less COVID-19 travel regulations are finding ways to rise to the occasion by becoming more lenient on rebooking policies. This can impact your flight costs and personal savings until 2021, which means you don’t have to give up on planning future trips just yet.
- Delta is allowing rebookings for customers with flights departing in April and May 2020 (as of April 3). But the airline’s advantage lies in its booking powers for future flights: New tickets purchased from Mar. 1 to May 31 can be modified without charge for up to a year.
- British Airways customers can change travel plans free of charge for flights scheduled through May. The new initiative also applies to bookings made from Mar. 3 to Mar. 31, and the rescheduled flight must depart within a year.
- American Airlines will waive change fees for the rebooking of trips initially purchased by April 30 and scheduled for travel through May 31. This window is slightly narrow when compared to other policies.
- For flights leaving before May 31, Air France passengers can postpone departure dates without change fees if the purchase was made before Mar. 31. This special change fee waiver runs until Sept. 30.
- Spirit now waives cancellation fees for customers with travel plans impacted by the epidemic. Customers can update their travel plans for free up until the final week before a trip. You may also opt to receive a full purchase price reservation credit available for 12 months after the issue date.
- United Airlines has lifted change fees for bookings issued before Mar. 2.
- Instead of setting deadlines for the end of May, Southwest is allowing passengers to rebook travel up to 60 days from the original flight date. Much like Delta’s, British Airways’, and Spirit’s offerings, funds used to pay for a Southwest ticket are valid for close to one year. But these funds can also be applied to future flights up until 10 minutes before the scheduled departure.
Some airlines are also doing more than ever to accommodate their customers during a historically difficult time.
- Lufthansa is offering free cancelations up to 24 hours before its flights. The air carrier extended its rebooking period until the end of Aug. 2020. If you initially purchased a ticket with Lufthansa before Mar. 19, you may be eligible for a discount of up to €50 (~$54). These are some of the most customer-centric policies any top-10 international airline is currently providing.
- Until June 10, China Southern is providing full refunds for customers with purchased flights to restricted countries. Other customers that may qualify for refunds include medical personnel, fever and respiratory infection patients, COVID-19 patients, and anyone frequently within close proximity of a COVID-19 patient.
- China Eastern is extending refunds to customers who purchased a ticket before Jan. 28 for flights that depart through June 30.
Travel bans are achieving mixed results in stopping COVID-19
The European Union (EU) implemented a nonessential travel ban that runs until mid-April. However, as the Coronavirus spreads, this policy recommendation is reducing consumer confidence.
- France has luckily kept its COVID-19 mortality rate from skyrocketing to the levels of Italy’s and the United States’. Its government has also required exiting non-French citizens to remain in quarantine. Long story short, plan your selfies on Le Sienne for 2021 or later.
- Germany has followed suit, barring most foreign travelers from entering and achieving a lower mortality rate than most neighbor countries. Right now, it’s looking like Germany might be the first top European tourist destination to move on from the epidemic. Nothing is official yet.
- Spain just surpassed Italy with the second-highest number of coronavirus cases worldwide. Entry is currently restricted for most passengers at airports and seaports until further notice. And because the country extended its state of emergency until April 26th, I’ll assume my August trip to Madrid is looking like it will be postponed. ¡Qué triste!
- Italy’s lockdown only allows travelers past its borders for work and health-related reasons. Bel Paese has even gone above and beyond to ban passengers with body temperatures above 99.5 degrees. Yet the nation still has the third most COVID-19 cases in the world.
Unfortunately, the United Kingdom and the United States are concerning the world with their hands-off approaches. Both countries are primarily relying on government agencies to issue public advisories against nonessential travel.
Beneath the surface of the UK’s and the US’s laissez-faire attitudes, it seems like a cry for help. Here’s why:
- U.K. airports could close within weeks. The U.K. airport industry is asking for a bailout as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in critical condition with…you guessed it, coronavirus.
- In the U.S., COVID-19 has already made its way to large hubs, forcing air traffic control shutdowns in New York, Chicago, and Miami. Oh, and one more thing — the U.S. leads the world in coronavirus cases. Yikes!
Canada has barred almost all foreign travel, except for essential travel from the United States. Brazil implemented nearly identical guidelines to the EU by not accepting essential travel passengers. And China now only allows airlines to operate one passenger flight arriving weekly. The country also mandates quarantines for incoming passengers.
Despite aggressive efforts to win back travelers, airlines alone cannot convince the world to explore again. While top tourist destinations use different tactics to curb the spread of coronavirus, more uncertainties beyond the travel industry’s control arise. Currently, government recommendations are more influential than cheap flight promotions, and the timeline for an approved COVID-19 vaccine is uncertain.
Yet that shouldn’t stop us from thinking about the future. As a wise man once said, “it is better to travel well than to arrive.”
So maybe we won’t arrive today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day.
But that absolutely doesn’t mean we will never travel well again.
