With coronavirus swirling, what’s the consensus, Charlotte — are we traveling or not?
On Sunday night, American Airlines sent its customers an email to announce it is waiving change fees up to 14 days prior to travel for travel purchased between March 1, 2020 (4:30 p.m. CST) and March 16, 2020 (11.59 p.m. CST).
“We know customers are thinking carefully about purchasing future business trips and vacations,” it stated in an email to customers. No mention of Coronavirus was made in the email; however, we know a lot of travelers are wondering about that trip to [insert any city].
Many of us have trips that were planned before we ever heard of the COVID-19 coronavirus. My mind immediately went to the New York City trip I have planned for the end of March and the Barcelona trip I’m taking at the end of April. Both of those flights are already booked, so not subject to the waived change fee that American emailed about.
Deciding whether to go on these existing trips can be confusing enough, with news about new cities battling the COVID-19 coronoavirus every day. But what about the trips that have not yet been planned? It could be difficult to even dream of a whole new adventure in light of all the news.
In this regard, it’s pretty smart of American Airlines to offer some incentive to encourage travelers to keep planning.
Delta Airlines has also waived change fees for affected destinations, including Shanghai and Beijing, China; Seoul, South Korea; and all locations in Italy, including Bologna, Milan, Rome, Turin and Venice. It has also suspended or reduced service to some of the affected areas.
United Airlines has suspended flights to Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Shanghai and has suspended some service to Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Singapore and Seoul. The airline is waiving some change fees to northern Italy as well.
Are you planning to travel?
We wanted to know what you were thinking. So we asked on Instagram: “Are you traveling anywhere in the next few months? If so, where are you going and are you considering holding off on your trip?” Here were some of your answers:
- “Spain ... and not a chance.” — Kenna Ehman
- “Traveling to London on the 13th. Not swayed a bit by all the media hype.” — Noah Meador
- “They’ve crammed more seats on the plane making it less comfortable ... so ... no.” — Kevin Creasy
- “Florida. The “state of emergency” doesn’t scare me. However, if I had a trip to Europe booked, I’d definitely reconsider. I have relatives in Germany and although there are no cases reported there yet, I am told that most people are being extremely cautious. You can’t buy a bottle of disinfectant anywhere ... all sold out. So if you’re going to Europe, bring your own.” — Christiane K
- “Puerto Rico for some sun.” — Morgan McCloskey
- “Canceled a two-week vacation to Italy on doctor’s recommendation due to pre-existing condition. Not an easy choice but have gotten 80% of my $ back.” — Brenda Arteaga
- “Just flew yesterday, flying Thursday. Didn’t see a single mask in the airport.” — Courtney Pickens
- “Utah and going all the way out.” — Manasa Kumar
- “Just bring portable disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer with you and be cautious as possible.” — Andy Thuan
- “We were supposed to leave for Spain today, but canceled and got a flight voucher for Delta/KLM/Air France by getting a doctor’s note saying they do not recommend us traveling to Spain. Since Tuesday, cases in Spain have increased from 2 to 120.” — Kaitlyn Bunyak
- “This [American Airlines offer] is simply a gimmick to promote ticket sales and does nothing for those who have already purchased flights and wish to cancel.” — queencityfoodie_tiu
- “Going to Paris this week as planned.” — Nicole Kriak
“Spain on the 13th and they’re making it a nightmare to reschedule. This policy apparently is only for travel that is booked between March 1-16. Since I booked last year, they’re not waiving anything.” — A. Hudson
“Paris, not cancelling. 5-6 weeks. Hope the Louvre is open.” — Alicia Christine
Will coronavirus fears affect your travel plans, either already existing plans or the ones you haven’t booked yet? Let us know on Insta or email us at charlottefive@charlottefive.com and we may add your answer here.
Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for spelling and punctuation.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 2:04 PM.
