Have you had to change/cancel travel due to COVID-19 (involuntarily or voluntarily)?

[robtemt]

I thought I would start a thread as a resource for AFFers who have changed or cancelled travel plans directly or indirectly due to 2019 n-CoV.

• Did the airline/cruise company cancelling or change your flight/cruise? Or, did you proactively or reactively cancel or change it on your own (and why?).
• Did they notify you directly, or did you discover it on your own?
• What was your original plan, and what was the revised plan?
• What was your experience like?
• Did you go through any travel insurance claim process, and how was that part of it?

For the record, part of my role at work is to monitor medical related issues, filter out mis/disinformation, and brief other staff using only verified facts from trusted sources, so I am not one to buy into sensationalism or hysteria. BUT, I am also an advocate of forward planning and monitoring situations that could affect travel plans.

Post automatically merged: Feb 10, 2020

To start it off…. We have begun voluntarily changing (or making back up plans for) our upcoming holiday SYD-(+/- SIN)-LAX-SJO-LAX-HNL-LNY-HNL-SYD

We are booked to the USA via SIN on SQ in a few weeks (F Saver Reward Booking). A few things caused us to start making contingency plans on getting to the USA including:

• Reading posts from Buttermilk Chicken regarding her RTW flight being disrupted between HKK and CEB
• Member Pushka raising a good point if Singapore will be next.
• Monitoring the World Health Organisations surveillance on n-CoV (as part of my responsibilities at work). Singapore confirmed infections were 28 on 5 Feb, 40 on 8 Feb, and 43 on 9 Feb. Several of these cases were human-to-human contact, with no recent travel to China.
• Bloomberg’s article this morning HERE, which discussed the spread of the virus from a conference attendee in Singapore, via a resort in France, to people in France, Spain, and the UK.

We contacted SQ, to discuss the options of alternative carriers, to which there were no available flights. The agent was very friendly, and said she understood the desire to rebook and avoid an Asia transit, but she said until official bans are in place, there were no options, but “we will offer options if Singapore becomes affected by travel bans”.

We began searching other options. We contacted VFF, who found one seat on DL SYD-LAX in W, and one seat on VA in J SYD-BNE-LAX. No other business or premium reward seats (except any seat) were available +/- 1 day of our desired travel (with pre-booked hotels, cars, and other flights to South America, and Hawaii). We will keep looking for another J seat on same day, and hopefully two on the same flight to free up closer to the date.

We have left our SQ bookings as is for now, and will cancel either that booking of the DL/VA booking closer to the date as thing develop.

Overall Experience:

• Wait times on the phone are obviously a bit longer, but I’ve not been on hold longer than 15 minutes with either VA or SQ.
• Staff at both SQ and VA call centres have been friendly, empathetic, and helpful in searching, but have no/limited availability and flexibility in voluntary changes so far.

 

[Flashback]

I've been lodging insurance claims this week for our July Europe cancellations. Given that vouchers have an expiry date, that likely involve overseas travel, that insurance companies will never cover Covid again, and goodness knows if there will ever be a vaccine, there may be a second - third - fourth wave (hope not but that can't be declined right now) there is no way that Insurance companies can compel anyone to accept a voucher for next year instead of a refund.

As an aside, our Insurer Insureandgo, makes us lodge each type of claim separately (flight, flight, hotel, cruise) and each time will deduct their gap fee. Twice now, I've been contacted asking for the return flight details for both the cruise and the hotel. If and I know they will, they deduct their fee each time, then that will be a complaint I will follow up on later once the payments have arrived.

That's ridiculous, the cover should be for 'the trip' and all associated components. That's certainly been the case whenever I've had to claim here through my TI provider. They really are trying it on, aren't they.

I've received the refund for our QR flights to Vietnam in July now; we made a gain on the ForEx there thankfully as the hotel we had booked in ARN prior to our early morning QR flight refuses to refund; so that cancels out that loss.

I'm going to monitor the Sweden situation though, if their borders are still somewhat closed to the UK then will call Booking.com and plead with them again, it's worked in the past so still an opportunity to get that hotel cost refunded too.

 

[Pushka]

That's ridiculous, the cover should be for 'the trip' and all associated components. That's certainly been the case whenever I've had to claim here through my TI provider. They really are trying it on, aren't they.

I've received the refund for our QR flights to Vietnam in July now; we made a gain on the ForEx there thankfully as the hotel we had booked in ARN prior to our early morning QR flight refuses to refund; so that cancels out that loss.

I'm going to monitor the Sweden situation though, if their borders are still somewhat closed to the UK then will call Booking.com and plead with them again, it's worked in the past so still an opportunity to get that hotel cost refunded too.

I had a non refundable booking with booking.com which I cancelled yesterday. There was a button that said contact hotel for Covid options - I'd been trying that button over the weeks but no response at all. So I just didn't bother this time.

 

[Flashback]

I had a non refundable booking with booking.com which I cancelled yesterday. There was a button that said contact hotel for Covid options - I'd been trying that button over the weeks but no response at all. So I just didn't bother this time.

That button has worked for me several times, wonder why AU users are having issues..... essentially all it does is trigger an e-mail to the accommodation provider asking if they'd be willing to accept a reduced cancellation fee.

 

[Mogul]

Should be currently sitting in J on Singapore Airlines heading to Germany but sitting at home having chicken snitty for dinner.

 

[Pushka]

That button has worked for me several times, wonder why AU users are having issues..... essentially all it does is trigger an e-mail to the accommodation provider asking if they'd be willing to accept a reduced cancellation fee.

The button works fine. It sends an email. Which is ignored.

 

[Flashback]

The button works fine. It sends an email. Which is ignored.

Next step is to just call Booking.com, they'll then try and call the hotel, then if they can't get through and get an answer that way they can just make a decision themselves. I've had that happen twice, too. Refunds issued in both cases.

 

[Pushka]

Next step is to just call Booking.com, they'll then try and call the hotel, then if they can't get through and get an answer that way they can just make a decision themselves. I've had that happen twice, too. Refunds issued in both cases.

Too late. It's cancelled so I can submit the Insurance claim.

 

[Pushka]

We would be at the airport tonight booked on our Qatar flight from Adelaide to Athens. I just want to sob a little.

 

[BriarFlyer]

We would be on QF27 en route to Santiago and on to Lima. Like you @Pushka, I have the sads.

 

[Pushka]

I do have some good news. We were on a flight Alitalia from Athens to Rome next week. Non refundable but because of Covid I could actually cancel. Additionally a few weeks ago they changed the flight so that it left before we actually arrived into Athens after a small boat cruise. Of course i could then get a refund. So i have emailed (xx_ times), tweeted (xx_ times), called them up, and FB messaged them but crickets from their end. We did have Travel Insurance cover for pandemics so we could claim but Alitalia simply wouldnt cancel. And the insurance company kept insisting we needed cancellation advice. Sigh.

Last Friday I had a brain wave and as I had paid it with Amex credit card i decided to lodge a chargeback on the basis of services not provided. Subnitted the details - it asked whether it was covid related but I selected no, as the schedule change was impossible to make pre covid so we couldnt accept the change, then immediately the website said the case was closed! I checked what that meant and the message was that they had accepted the claim and the money is already back onto the credit card!

 

[pottsy]

MOST CERTAINLY HAVE. One World Award (I agonised over arranging) 2 flights in, remaining cancelled..... goodbye 315,000 hard earned points. Thanks for nothing Qantas.

 

[Pushka]

MOST CERTAINLY HAVE. One World Award (I agonised over arranging) 2 flights in, remaining cancelled..... goodbye 315,000 hard earned points. Thanks for nothing Qantas.

Why didnt you get them back as unused?

 

[33kft]

MOST CERTAINLY HAVE. One World Award (I agonised over arranging) 2 flights in, remaining cancelled..... goodbye 315,000 hard earned points. Thanks for nothing Qantas.

Can you claim via Travel Insurance?

 

[pottsy]

Why didnt you get them back as unused?

No unfortunately. Allianz (like so many others) were very quick to highlight the 'pandemic' clause. I departed Oz end of February! Would have been different if I had knowingly travelled during a pandemic, which if course I didn't, however seems to make no difference.
According to Qantas the 2 flights used up that many points, (if it had been an ordinary points booking and not a OWA??....so bad luck me...

 

[jeza]

No unfortunately. Allianz (like so many others) were very quick to highlight the 'pandemic' clause. I departed Oz end of February! Would have been different if I had knowingly travelled during a pandemic, which if course I didn't, however seems to make no difference.
According to Qantas the 2 flights used up that many points, (if it had been an ordinary points booking and not a OWA??....so bad luck me...

Maybe worth a try again. For my OWA originally I was quoted 40 odd thousand points & the next time i rang a month or 2 later that had changed to 159000 points. I'd understand if your over it though.

 

[33kft]

No unfortunately. Allianz (like so many others) were very quick to highlight the 'pandemic' clause. I departed Oz end of February! Would have been different if I had knowingly travelled during a pandemic, which if course I didn't, however seems to make no difference.

Did you actually put a claim in? I departed Australia on 3rd March, with an insurance policy through NIB. They also have a pandemic clause. I claimed for non-refundable airfares and hotels. They almost immediately cottoned on that the "unrefundable" fare with AA (it literally said that on the refunds website when I entered the ticket numbers) was indeed refundable and told me to lodge a refund request, which ended up approved and I got all of my flight costs back. They then paid out the unrefundable hotel cost. If you had asked me I'd lost the lot but after claiming I realise that reading the various disclaimers and not claiming for losses is exactly what they want you to do. If you haven't lodged a claim, you should.

 

[pottsy]

Did you actually put a claim in? I departed Australia on 3rd March, with an insurance policy through NIB. They also have a pandemic clause. I claimed for non-refundable airfares and hotels. They almost immediately cottoned on that the "unrefundable" fare with AA (it literally said that on the refunds website when I entered the ticket numbers) was indeed refundable and told me to lodge a refund request, which ended up approved and I got all of my flight costs back. They then paid out the unrefundable hotel cost. If you had asked me I'd lost the lot but after claiming I realise that reading the various disclaimers and not claiming for losses is exactly what they want you to do. If you haven't lodged a claim, you should.

Thanks so much. I shall indeed give it a try then! Although 'I THINK' using points is different to paying for the flights (besides taxes)? From what I have gathered Allianz doesn't even cover points?? Love someone to prove me wrong.. please...!

 

[33kft]

Although 'I THINK' using points is different to paying for the flights (besides taxes)?

I wouldn't pretend to know to be honest but after my experience I think there's nothing that can be lost. A lot of us ended up with useless bookings and useless travel insurance coverage and I don't think there's any negative that could come from lodging a claim. Not only does having claimed in the past not appear to be a factor in getting coverage, once you claim a claims advisor is assigned and you would have some room to negotiate with them on any potential compensation.

The worst they can offer is what you have now.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

MOST CERTAINLY HAVE. One World Award (I agonised over arranging) 2 flights in, remaining cancelled..... goodbye 315,000 hard earned points. Thanks for nothing Qantas.

What were the two flights (airlines, class of travel, and was there a stopover in between the two flights?) Very easy to work out the cost of each sector.

 

[Waypoint]

MOST CERTAINLY HAVE. One World Award (I agonised over arranging) 2 flights in, remaining cancelled..... goodbye 315,000 hard earned points. Thanks for nothing Qantas.

Talk to them, same situation, points refunded I two weeks, but still chasing promised taxes refund. It will come.