Travel on Cathay mid April BNE / HKG / BOS - Change now or wait and see if the Corona virus gets better or worse? Any suggestions?

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Gotogate

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Last June we booked Premium Economy flights on Cathay to start a 10 week trip to celebrate my retirement. Originally we were stopping in HK for 5 days before heading to Boston to meet with friends followed by back to back cruises from NY to Rome & Rome to Rome via Greek Isles and ultimately returning from Rome via HK. With the unrest in HK last year we decided in Nov to change the flights and leave out the HK stopover. Cathay only has flights via HK so now I'm not sure whether to wait and take our chances or try to change airlines. I'm mostly concerned about getting on the flight (presuming it's not cancelled) and then not being allowed either into the US or onto the cruise ship. The only other alternative I can find to do the trip in premium is Air Canada where the price goes up by a couple of thousand $ with an extra stop or drop the Boston stopover and head straight for NY but then Premium is out of my pay grade. Does anyone have any suggestions on either the wait or change or the route alternatives?
 
You don't say what your actual travel dates are and/or if you can cancel the CX flights free of penalty so it's hard to come up with ideas. Also what city are you departing from. You really need a one-way OZ-BOS or NY then a one-way LHR-home I presume.

Perhaps look at a return OZ-JFK (you can then drive/fly/train to Boston) then a one-way (use points maybe) from the UK back to JFK. Not sure if this helps cost-wise - probably not as convenient either.
 
You don't say what your actual travel dates are and/or if you can cancel the CX flights free of penalty so it's hard to come up with ideas. Also what city are you departing from. You really need a one-way OZ-BOS or NY then a one-way LHR-home I presume.

Perhaps look at a return OZ-JFK (you can then drive/fly/train to Boston) then a one-way (use points maybe) from the UK back to JFK. Not sure if this helps cost-wise - probably not as convenient either.
Thanks - I've updated the post as I realised wasn't clear that the concern is around travelling through Hong Kong with the Corona Virus lurking. Travelling on 13th April returning 17th June and leaving from Brisbane to Boston, return is Rome to Brisbane.
 
Mid-April things will be cleared up, or the world is screwed.

Either way - I'd wait and see!

PS: Does travel insurance cover the shortfall in rebooking flights that now cost more?
 
... Does anyone have any suggestions on either the wait or change or the route alternatives?
Difficult one. We will all have different responses to your question, of course. Ultimately, you will need to decide on what travel arrangement you are (most) comfortable with.
 
As for risk of catching nCoV in HKG, right now Gold Coast has 680,000 people, 5 cases; 1 case for every 136,000 people. Hong Kong has 7.5 million people, 36 cases; one for every 179,000 people. Are you looking to avoid the Gold Coast? As for mid April, who knows. SARS ran for 9 months Nov 2012-Aug 2013, and many fewer cases. And when you come back more uncertain.

However you mention cruise and some lines are already refusing to board people who came through HKG, incl transit. Your cathay flight out may already have been snookered. I’d check with cruise line first, and if the news is bad with your travel insurance provider next.

Cheers skip
 
Mid-April things will be cleared up, or the world is screwed.

Either way - I'd wait and see!

PS: Does travel insurance cover the shortfall in rebooking flights that now cost more?
That is yet to be seen as it will depend on the severity at the time. Policy states pandemic is not covered.
 
As for risk of catching nCoV in HKG, right now Gold Coast has 680,000 people, 5 cases; 1 case for every 136,000 people. Hong Kong has 7.5 million people, 36 cases; one for every 179,000 people. Are you looking to avoid the Gold Coast? As for mid April, who knows. SARS ran for 9 months Nov 2012-Aug 2013, and many fewer cases. And when you come back more uncertain.

However you mention cruise and some lines are already refusing to board people who came through HKG, incl transit. Your cathay flight out may already have been snookered. I’d check with cruise line first, and if the news is bad with your travel insurance provider next.

Cheers skip
Not looking to avoid the Gold Coast as that’s where I live! You have a very good point about checking with the cruise line as to transiting HK or for that matter coming from GC with those statistics.
 
Scheduled to connect in DPS-HKG - SFO on 10 Apr. Return 22 Apr.
Will be waiting to see what happens.

Still some good PEY fares ex-SE Asia to the USA.

Happy wandering
Fred
 
I'll be passing through HK for about 26 hours in 4 weeks. Haven't even considered changing to be honest. Probably at a greater risk when I went to Hurstville for noodles last week!
 
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We hadn’t considered changing either and were taking a wait and see approach also. However, just received an email from CX to the effect that my return flight from HKG has been cancelled and they are proposing that I now overnight there. Not sure if my accom will be paid as I am connecting through from ADD and the ticket is issued by ET. J but I have no status with them.

Update: a few hours later I get another email from CX. They’ve bumped me another day, leaving two consecutive days now with no direct flights HKG-BNE, and are now proposing I stopover two nights in HKG. Hmm, I might pass on that.

cheers (?) skip
 
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We hadn’t considered changing either and were taking a wait and see approach also. However, just received an email from CX to the effect that my return flight from HKG has been cancelled and they are proposing that I now overnight there. Not sure if my accom will be paid as I am connecting through from ADD and the ticket is issued by ET. J but I have no status with them.

Update: a few hours later I get another email from CX. They’ve bumped me another day, leaving two consecutive days now with no direct flights HKG-BNE, and are now proposing I stopover two nights in HKG. Hmm, I might pass on that.

cheers (?) skip

Yes that is a little annoying. If ET issued the ticket (I assume it's a paid ticket?) they may reroute through Singapore, Bangkok, KL etc.

I'm connecting from ADD as well funnily enough, but on QR/CX
 
Yes, SIN (SQ) and BKK (TG) both options, with the latter most likely. Glad I wasn’t ticketed on CX/FZ via DXB as I’ve often done before
 
I too have a trip late April on CX via HKG to Canada.
The issue on my mind had always been about the risk of infection, but now thinking about it more, there is also the risk that Canada (or any other country) could ban entry if you have transited HK.

Lucky for me I've only booked the air travel. Since there is no current waiver I thought I might sit tight and see what happens...
 
Watching the CX situation with interest; am transiting HKG to Japan in mid April (just 3 hrs) but have five days stop over scheduled on return in late April.

No flights shifted... yet.

CX offer to re-book free of charge currently only extends to end of March.

I plan to review the options 3rd week of March.
 
My net result (subject to any further cancellations :rolleyes: ) was CX rerouted me via SYD at TA request.

Then ET cancelled my ADD-HKG flight and rebooked me BKK-HKG on TG.

So now my booking is HGA-ADD-BKK-HKG-SYD-BNE.

Cheers skip
 
In the hypothetical event that CX went bust, what would happen to award bookings using QFF points? Refunded by QF or into the abyss like a cash booking would presumably be?
 
Well since I opened this discussion it's now a case of wait and see. We've got to book alternative flights as, if we transit HK, Norwegian won't let us board the ship in NY. CX cancellation fee waiver is only good for flights up to end of March (we fly mid April) cancel cost $1100. To cancel cruises loss around $7k. Accommodation for 5 weeks in Italy can cancel but lose train fares etc. Checked with insurance but they're yelling pandemic and no cover. So must book alternative flights in case cruises to and from Italy aren't cancelled but crystal ball isn't working too well and not sure whether to book flights coming back straight back after cruises (assuming not cancelled) or at same time we would have come back. To add to that it's now almost as expensive for economy as previous booking in premium. Any bright ideas or working crystal balls out there?
 
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