An advisory against all non-essential travel because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has sent people scrambling to rebook or cancel their trips.
Stories about being on hold for hours with airlines, fights to get flights rescheduled and talk of weeks of self-isolation upon return are adding to the stress of the pandemic taking over the globe.
The B.C. government’s advisory against non-essential international travel Thursday late afternoon was followed by an official global travel advisory from the federal government on Friday.
But despite the advisory, not all airlines are on board.
One traveller the Richmond News spoke to was planning to leave for the Philippines on Thursday night, but when he saw the travel advisory, he called his airline to cancel. After waiting on hold for more than two hours, he finally spoke to an agent. They told him that since he had bought his ticket online, he would have to go back to the website and submit a request to cancel. The catch was, it would take a week to process the request, so he would be charged a no-show fee regardless.
However, other airlines have been more accommodating by waiving change fees, but the struggle is often getting through the clogged phone lines. WestJet posted a notice simply telling people to call back later if their flight is not within the next 72 hours.
Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), we’re experiencing high volume for our phone, email and social media support. If your flight is not within the next 72 hours, please avoid contacting us so we can help guests with imminent travel plans. Thank you in advance for your understanding. pic.twitter.com/lmQcDiguxL
— WestJet (@WestJet) March 13, 2020
Air Transat announced Thursday customers could postpone their travel without penalty if they sent in a request three days prior to their flight leaving. That worked for some, but those with flights leaving the next day or two were out of luck.
In other words, despite trying to do the right thing, many travellers have been left in a no-win situation.
And while last year the federal government created the “Air Passenger Protection Regulations” to help people dealing with these kinds of frustrating travel situations, it only pertains to flight delays or lost or damaged luggage. There is no provision for what airlines are obligated to do in the event of a travel advisory for health reasons.
News of travel advisory 'spreading faster than virus'
The current advisory is classified as “level three,” explained travel agent Christine Boecker, owner of TravelBoecker Adventures, and her agency is closely monitoring the evolving situation in order to help clients rebook or cancel trips.
This is the not the first time Boecker has seen massive cancellations in the travel business because of a health outbreak – she’s been in the business since 1977 and has lived through 9/11, SARS and the swine flu. But this seems “special,” she said.
“The news seems to be spreading faster than the virus,” she explained, adding this is due to how fast information travels on social media. This has brought in a “fear factor” element to the situation.
In general, Boecker recommends people book through a travel agency and take out cancellation insurance in case a situation like the current travel advisory disrupts their plans.
Julia Chen, manager at Nexus Holidays in Richmond, said many people who have booked with her agency have saved up enough money for their trip, but they don’t necessarily have the money to take two weeks off for self-isolation – as recommended by the government – after they return.
“The concern we hear from clients is they’re not worried about catching (coronavirus) – they just don’t want to deal with the two-week quarantine,” Chen said.
Chen said, at this point, only a handful of people are still travelling, and that’s mainly to areas not affected by the coronavirus. She, too, remembers the SARS outbreak of 2003, and she is confident this will pass within the next few months.
Of those who have decided not to travel because of the coronavirus outbreak, half are cancelling because they work and don’t have the flexibility to rebook, while half are retirees who are delaying travel, having the flexibility to go at another time.
Boecker herself is postponing a trip to Africa which included organizing a memorial service for her mother.
But thinking about the big picture, she said it’s the right thing to do now.
Her staff met Friday morning and the consensus was that “this too shall pass.”
“Our appetite for travel hasn’t been extinguished – it’s on hold for now,” Boecker said.
For those planning to travel on BC Ferries, Premier John Horgan said it’s not good health policy to ask people to congregate on the upper levels during an outbreak.
In a press conference on Friday, Horgan said he has asked Transport Canada, which regulates BC Ferries, to relax the restriction on people sitting in their cars while the ferries are moving.
Horgan had a conference call with other premiers and the prime minister on Friday morning, and he pressed on the federal government to look at restrictions at the border.
