Spotted: vancouverisawesome.com
It seems a bit disingenuous to write about the joys of travel during the current coronavirus scare, when people are afraid to pass through airports or be entombed in airplanes with hundreds of unknown people from all around the world. Even those who would dare those risks are reconsidering travel plans when the very real possibility of quarantine looms large. No one wants to spend weeks in a windowless cruise ship cabin. (Shudder.) My own friends and family are canceling or postponing trips for these reasons.
Perhaps the airlines are starting to feel the pinch, as a note just popped up to say that Air Canada and WestJet will waive fees to change flights if you go ahead and book flights now (between March 4 and March 31 for AC and between March 3 and March 17 for WestJet). I’m guessing new bookings have plummeted to zero and they are desperate to get some cash flowing in. I suggest that ALL airlines and ALL hotels/accommodations follow suit or they will be completely shut down for the next few months, until the health situation stabilizes. No one is going to be crazy enough to book travel as long as there’s a good chance they will lose their money if they have to cancel.
Meantime, what I want to know is how will the airlines and hotels accommodate people who booked months ago and are scheduled to travel soon? Has anyone heard anything from them beyond “Tough luck”? I even wonder if travel insurance companies are going to cover any of this. (Doubtful.)
Thanks for an excellent analysis of a very serious social and economic problem!