What are the travel opportunities in light of 2019 Novel Coronavirus?

[PineappleSkip]

I see QF have just started a flash sale for those travelling in pairs. Available for bookings to 17 Feb, all cabins. Asian destinations feature prominently in the list, but US, UK also. My email featured the “old” A380 Y+ seat, suggesting it has more selling power than the new “enhanced” David Caon version. Maybe they should have added “ride on these while you can”.

cheers skip

 

[Pushka]

I see QF have just started a flash sale for those travelling in pairs. Available for bookings to 17 Feb, all cabins. Asian destinations feature prominently in the list, but US, UK also. My email featured the “old” A380 Y+ seat, suggesting it has more selling power than the new “enhanced” David Caon version. Maybe they should have added “ride on these while you can”.

cheers skip

I checked that and DPS - Adelaide is $450 in J via Melbourne (angle seats though).

 

[JB expat]

Based on what my employer is doing in terms of travel rules (globally) there will be a lot of empty [business] seats/cancelled seats if any leg involves an Asia stop.

 

[I love to travel]

Based on what my employer is doing in terms of travel rules (globally) there will be a lot of empty [business] seats/cancelled seats if any leg involves an Asia stop.

What are the time frames for these restrictions?

 

[JB expat]

What are the time frames for these restrictions?

it is fluid - we have meetings every 3 days to discuss developments and whether recommendations/restrictions need to change. right now through the end of Feb. Note - change/cancel fees are not coming from personal wallets.

EDIT - the restrictions don't impact internal Aus flights but we actually have fewer of these then regional/global travel

 

[Pushka]

ADL - Mel flight was very quiet last night.

 

[trevella]

Easy to get a seat on the bus that passes U-Canberra and ANU this morning.

 

[ethernet]

Looking at airfares to Asia the Coronavirus has NOT impacted Bali, Vn or .my or .th or phils, so it seems in Australia on airfare terms. I don't care about China - because I am not a betting man. Same HK and Taiwan and .sg.
Sure Virgin is pulling out of HK, and adding to where JQ and QF got out of Japan. I see more packages and 2 for 1 deals bit yawn - nothing to make me lock in a deal.

Looking at JQ they are charging peak prices to the point that I would have booked PAL - but the prices never worked for me at booking time. Same for Malaysian - sorry I don't fly on fake email specials - you know I don't live in WA. Airlines are still charging full CNY prices -as if Corona never existed. Besides web/mobile discrimination, I noticed JQ having year of mouse sales via my vpn (they know its RAT). I expect its an Aussies can pay more kind of thing. I still cant see any forward discounting - except USA and London

Are flights to the unaffected Asian destinations 95% full right now?

 

[serfty]

Booked some valentines day sale fares on 3K between BKK & SIN today in 23 days for March.

Base fare ~AUD70, Plus ~AUD110 (15SC), Max ~AUD180 (30SC)

 

[albatross710]

My gut feel is that airfares to Asia may stay stubbornly high as lowering prices will be unlikely to increase volume. As
JB expat point out, the routing is not price dependent, so even halving the price may not increase volume, so better for the airlines to keep the price higher for those that 'must' travel there

 

[Pushka]

My gut feel is that airfares to Asia may stay stubbornly high as lowering prices will be unlikely to increase volume. As
JB expat point out, the routing is not price dependent, so even halving the price may not increase volume, so better for the airlines to keep the price higher for those that 'must' travel there

Cruise lines certainly aren’t reducing prices except for those on hastily rescheduled cruises now bound for US where there are some great deals. Med cruise prices are increasing.

 

[Johnno101]

However internal hotel and airfares could come down as a result of reduced tourism into australia. Anyone seeing any evidence of this

 

[Pushka]

However internal hotel and airfares could come down as a result of reduced tourism into australia. Anyone seeing any evidence of this

We received a message from Expedia yesterday that the Melb hotel we’d booked for next week was now sold out.

 

[JB expat]

We received a message from Expedia yesterday that the Melb hotel we’d booked for next week was now sold out.

I think that makes sense. More people will “divert” to local holidays. For example, There is now coronavirus in Hawaii (google - I’ve done a poor job of capturing the facts with that statement), if I was planning on Hawaii and I had the option of rebooking at reasonable change / cancel fees, I’d look within Aus for a replacement.

 

[Johnno101]

But the number of internal tourists compared to external is such that there should be rooms booked that ca’t be filled And significantly so.

 

[JennyMG]

Would also like to know about cheap hotels in Aus (so I can book my free amex flight).

me too.

 

[juddles]

I heard on the radio in the car today someone promoting domestic (specifically rural) holidays as a way that all the rich folk in the cities can help support the tourism industry in country australia due to the dramatic downturn in international travellers. I agree that Aussie has some great places to visit, but although some airfares seem good at the moment, there is no such reduction in the accom etc costs of such visits. I personally do not have any urge to do a multi-thousand dollar domestic trip just so I "support" local businesses at standard pricings, where I pay top dollar for usual aussie items. I would far prefer to donate a hundred bucks than pay 2000 so they got the same benefit....

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I heard on the radio in the car today someone promoting domestic (specifically rural) holidays as a way that all the rich folk in the cities can help support the tourism industry in country australia due to the dramatic downturn in international travellers. I agree that Aussie has some great places to visit, but although some airfares seem good at the moment, there is no such reduction in the accom etc costs of such visits. I personally do not have any urge to do a multi-thousand dollar domestic trip just so I "support" local businesses at standard pricings, where I pay top dollar for usual aussie items. I would far prefer to donate a hundred bucks than pay 2000 so they got the same benefit....

Travel both here you can choose you own budget. It does not have to be expensive, though it can be.

This weekend -

- I will be freecamping up at Koonoomoo, spending locally but not that much
- daughter and her boyfriend are Bed and Breakfasting down Marlo way specifically to spend some dollars in a bushfire relief area while having fun. Spending more than I, but it is not costly.

 

[prozac]

Daughter just took off 30m ago on Etihad BNE-DUB-AMS. Says plane about half full.

I am wondering about points redemption availability say to Europe now people might be concerned about not being covered by travel insurance.

 

[suze2000]

We flew MEL-SIN-BKK a few days ago with SQ. 60% full on first leg, about 30% full on second. They could swap out to smaller planes but at the moment, I felt very safe from infection as there were so few people. FAs all wearing masks.