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

robtemt

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Apr 26, 2016
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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.
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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.
 
I have sent an email and received the SR number so I will follow up as you have suggested. Thank you again.
Received a very disappointing reply so I have sent another request for assistance and have another SR number.
 
I called SQ call centre (Sydney number). Held for 30 minutes. Cancelled bookings for March (anyone want saver R seats on SQ222 or J on SQ36 on 6 Mar row 11?). Call took nearly 55 min including hold time, plus a 20 minute call back. $150USD mileage reinstatement fee, and a refund of $218SGD in taxes.

Indian call centre employee was clueless. Kept getting cut off mid sentence by a supervisor/trainer, and asked me several times, "do you mind if I place you on hold for some time".

VA call centre staff, every time we've called to book, check, or change over the last week, have been AMAZNG! Never been on a call more than 15 minutes with VA.
 
A doctor gave you antibiotics to take, "in case" you start feeling unwell, possibly from a virus, potentially CORVID-19? He's aware how drug resistant "superbugs" become drug resistant, right?
I literally reported what I was told, I'm not a doctor myself, I wouldn't pretend to know more than he does (although clearly it seems his logic was a little flawed in this case).
 
My work (>50k employees) has cancelled all travel to/from Singapore, Mainland China and Hong Kong.
 
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Had to change flights for my mother in law which was SIN - HKG - MIL on Cathay Pacific using QF award points. When I did get through, the QF call centre was unaware that all flights from HKG to Italy had been banned. Initially didn't want to do it as the RTW had started. Eventually managed to get flights changed on the same day (but worse times) to Qatar airlines flying through Doha which I think was OK. Very limited availability in PE and ECO. Call centre originally asked if we just to cancel all the flights.
 
Had flights to JFK via HKG return with CX booked for March. Noticed HKG-BNE disappeared from CX website and received a flight change from CX which would have meant a 41 hf layover in HKG. Another email a few hours later pushed this out to 65 hour. Given personal circumstance, choose to fully cancel booking and travel via LAX on same dates with another carrier
 
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Anyone heard of any tour companies having problems?

I have a guaranteed departure land tour booked for late July from UK to France through well known company.
Did some part payments online in December which processed ok.

Early last week attempted to do part payment and got error 3 times.
Phoned the Company. Staff member attempted and also got error. She said she would report error to IT and get back to me. Haven’t heard anything.

i tried online again yesterday with Only1 Visa, Coles Gift MC and ANZ VISA.
All resulted in errors.

I am concerned this may be an indication that the tour company may be in trouble.
 
Anyone heard of any tour companies having problems?

I have a guaranteed departure land tour booked for late July from UK to France through well known company.
Did some part payments online in December which processed ok.

Early last week attempted to do part payment and got error 3 times.
Phoned the Company. Staff member attempted and also got error. She said she would report error to IT and get back to me. Haven’t heard anything.

i tried online again yesterday with Only1 Visa, Coles Gift MC and ANZ VISA.
All resulted in errors.

I am concerned this may be an indication that the tour company may be in trouble.
Is it a large tour company like Insight or a small boutique one?
 
I just had a read of the ANZ Premium Cards (Allianz) policy.

It is not very straightforward but it mentions Natural Disasters are covered but defines an epidemic or pandemic as not being a Natural Disaster event (the only mention in the entire document)

By inverse logic, it would seem they won't cover anything associated with an epidemic or pandemic. :mad::mad::mad:

yes - this was discussed in another thread a couple weeks ago now (also here on AFF).

However, with the current virus, airlines are offering cancellations free of charge, as are hotels (etc). So there really shouldn't be any need for insurance as far as that goes. If you had already commenced travel you might be out of pocket for additional hotels waiting for your rescue flight!
 
Israel has just added Thailand and Singapore to the list of countries that will require quarantine. Unclear if this includes transit passengers at this stage.DEF2AE4D-DF3B-4FAA-B652-523FE6F1400C.png
 
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Heading to BLR via BKK on TG on March 7. No email or anything from TG regarding any cancellations so hopefully nothing changes there. It's for a very important wedding so I'll be stuffed if things change!
 
Had a big in service at work yesterday COVID-19.
Going to SIN tomorrow, still going.
Trip to LHR a few weeks later (via JFK) still going.

Our official work travel advice is as per SmartTraveller.
This is a screenshot from my SmartTraveller subscription. I’m keeping an eye open as I have a flight coming up via KUL and a month later one via BKK.
 
Just got this message from QF in relation to my QF1 on Sunday -

Singapore have introduced new visa and immigration requirements in response to the coronavirus. PLEASE NOTE IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO MAINLAND CHINA IN THE PAST 14 DAYS, YOU MAY NOT BE PERMITTED TO BOARD A FLIGHT TO SINGAPORE.
Please click the link for more information www.qantas.com/au/en/travel-info/travel-updates/coronavirus.html or call Qantas on 61 2 8222 2422 for further information.
 
No travel plans have needed to be altered as yet. I could be being overcautious but I'm being mindful of how necessary any plans that involve crowded public spaces are.
 
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