Eternity - I do not get that from what he/she is saying.
Governments will reopen their economies gradually as we have seen in various countries already. Open factories and schools under restriction and controls, and then monitor this closely. Tests tests and more tests required - this will take months.
But borders will be the last thing a country is to open for those of us hankering for some sun and sea. Why invite a 2nd wave into your country at this vital stage. We have seen second waves already and it is extremely dangerous.
I get FT's spirit is one of a desire to travel, but some ideas I have seen are totally ignorant, like the virus will disappear overnight. My take is limited 2020 travel internationally, and certainly a total write off of the summer season. Of course you will get the odd country that will open for the season, and I get that through economic desperation, but to travel in this period would be foolhardy at best, lethally dangerous at worst. I have many trips but both business/personal already cancelled and a special family trip we have forgotten about in August. Such is life, as long as one is around to enjoy the future.

If travelling within Europe, I don't really see insurance as absolutely essential. There's EC261 to cover living expenses if a return flight is cancelled, and EHIC if the worst happens. Of course, this needs a big credit card limit to pay for things in the interim, and perhaps a willingness to fight the airline for the EC261 if needed.

Personally, I'd try really hard to find an insurer, but if I really wanted or needed to travel it wouldn't be what was stopping me.

Yes thats my main concern. Cancelled flights. If a flight is operational and a border is open, then it's up to the traveller to decide whether to fly or not.

(who knows, maybe we will all know if we are immune or not by then, my biggest interest is to see the true number of infected from this, especially around 'hotspots' like London where I am, even more so with my 'high-risk' going to bars and clubs in London until they closed. the more people we see have been already infected and don't have it anymore, the quicker the recovery and the less chance of a devastating second wave).


But even now in the worst of the crisis there are skeleton flights to major centres, so if there is a will, there is a way, even if only 25%-40% of flights are operating by that time.

Would airlines re-book passengers on other airlines if they cancel a flight for someone who wants to travel? That would be interesting to see, I would feel safer on more major airlines to be honest as they are more likely to be operating, or at least give you options to change your schedule instead of leaving you completely in the dry.

They may be operating but who is willing to enter quarantine under any circumstances bar getting to your home. I say this in the context of leisure travel.

Does moving in with family if you are lonely at home alone (e.g. single person or student without their own family except parents and siblings) count as leisure travel, or essential travel depending on your purpose?

I actually know of someone leaving the US and moving to Sweden until this blows over as 'they have distant relatives' over there. I also know of some Italians going back and forth to their families with those daily Alitalia flights. Areas with large affluent 'foreigners' such as South Kensington and Knightsbridge feel really empty even allowing for lockdown, it seems most of the people with family abroad have left.

I was also talking in the context of June as per the thread, which by then many measures would have changed, so if leisure flights are permitted without quarantine, I would assume the bigger airlines would have bigger coverage (e.g. BA still has flights compared to Easyjet who do not fly at all)

Can they go back and forth to Italy? I thought they had a 14 day quarantine on arrival and much stricter control of non-essential travel than we do. Would an Italian citizen be allowed to travel to an Italian airport for the purpose of leaving the country when they had just chosen to re-enter the country a few weeks prior?
Then again their lockdown might not be as strict as the news is making out.

Sweden has closed its borders for non-essential travel to Sweden from countries outside the EEA and Switzerland.All individuals entering Italy must be "returning to their domicile, residence or home, or entering Italy due to justifiable work reasons, special needs or health emergencies" and are required to enter self-quarantine for 14 days even if they have no symptoms. It seems unlikely that anyone could just go "back and forth" as they wish.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Not ideal, but you are allowed to leave mandatory self quarantine in GR if you are departing the country, so for example, if you have live in the UK and go to GR to see family, you must stay home, but are allowed to travel back to the airport before the 14 days to leave the country. Not much point in doing that naturally, unless there are emergency family matters to be dealt with.

Anyway, I would hope this is all cleared by May at least with a plan to release travel measures; for GR travel restrictions until May 15.
Just checked BA website, no scheduled flights for sale to Athens until May 24, where they have one flight a day on the schedule and the normal 4-5 flights a day in the June schedule.

EHIC is not a sensible substitute for insurance. It gets you equivalent treatment that a national of that country would get. God forbid it won�t cover repatriation to the UK in an air ambulance nor will it cover god for it repatriation of a body.

I honestly think that we are trying to read the future when the present is constantly shifting. I for one would not book anything that is not cancelable. I have booked t return to Spain where I live in the second half of June. As I am holding a load of credits with Volotea, it has cost me nothing more than I paid in advance. . Everything depends now on how Spain and France emerge from Confinement, I am just assuming that we might still be here all summer. Who knows?

I suspect that money will win over common sense and there will be a huge impetus to get back to normal. Until there is an effective vaccine we have no knowledge if whether there will be a second and more deadly wave. History shows that this is entirely possible.

What I do not intend to do is concern myself with things that I cannot alter or guess in the light of so many unknowns, I feel for you all who feel that your wings have been clipped and hope that you will all emerge with jobs to pay the salaries to pay fares, or have companies that allow you to travel. I fear that many will not.

Great post Pucci!

There is nobody going back and forth in Italy.
Anybody leaving for Sweden from the US to visit distant relatives is highly questionable given the stringent entry restrictions in Sweden.
Anyway I am leaving it at that, I am guessing Leisure travel will not be in play until after the Summer. For me it is health first as difficult as that is for me and my family.

Evening,

After reading the past few pages it seems a lot of people know more than the government so in that case my question would be well placed.

We're meant to fly to DXB on a 241 3rd June in First.

Our hotel are open apparently and we're only really going to chill on the beach. Nothing else.

Do you agree that with Emirates recent news about cancelling all flights until at least July would mean they have some inside info that their borders will remain closed? So whilst BA might fly us and the hotel might take us, the UAE won't?

Or is there a chance it will happen to this destination?

Cheers

There is possibility that EK or EY has insider information from the UAE government.
Even though BA operates to DXB, be aware that UAE may not have lifted restrictions by then and only accept their own nationals and those who have a residency permit.

Also, it's not possible to have a strong prediction what's going to happen in June so probably you would have more information by mid-May.