rosswill

The Turks and Caicos flights stop first in Antigua then fly onwards to Providenciales. In November BA first suspended PLS, stopping short in Antigua, then eventually suspended Antugua also. I flew outbound from the UK on one of the last operating flights that stopped short in ANU before the total suspension. My return direct flight was changed to fly back via Miami meaning 14 days quarantine for the 2hrs I spent changing planes on my return.

I'm watching this route also with interest. I'm scheduled to fly 7th and 17th January.

Stoat

Very similar dates to us but we are hoping to stay to end of January.

The other option rather than fly to USA I have toyed with is travelling a few miles next door to Guadeloupe and returning via AF.

Having had 5 trips cancelled in 2020 due to COVID we are keen to travel now to recharge the batteries but will ultimately take a pragmatic decision in the end.

Do the collective think that a 2for1 booking is more risky in this case compared to a revenue booking as alluded to above re. SEZ cancellations?

rosswill

I looked at all available routes home back in November that would remain within the quarantine free travel corridors. It wasn't as easy as you may think. Only one route existed for me and that involved a number of short flights including some tight connections, and 2 overnight stays. In the end I figured the risk wasn't worth it and went the MIA route. Ultimately I was able to exit quarantine at the 10 day mark when the government retrospectively changed the rules. There were plenty of routes home via the USA so I wouldn't worry about being stranded. Just the quarantine to keep in mind on your return, but as we have all seen any country could be added or removed at any time so this may be necessary anyway even with direct flights if they run as planned.

Foofighter69

Doing the same on MLE. It’s a good indicator of how things will pan out as long as the country doesn’t go into lockdown. Though loads are thinning the flights look like they should go ahead given 60% of the floor space on those new 77Ws are F and J and high-yield provided reasonably full. It’s amazing to think that 33% of the seats cover 60% of the plane so it can be easier on routes like BGI and MLE to break even given the largely (excluding the few avios-savvy) wealthy travellers on these routes.

lhrhappy

Leisure travel is always frivolous. That's the point of it.

We're ten months into "two weeks to flatten the curve". Unless you're willing to write off the '20s as a lost decade, just live your life.

LCY8737

The thing to consider is your personal stress tolerance. If the thought of being stranded frightens you, then now is not the time to travel. If you see being stranded as an adventure, then there are many great opportunities around.

Really good travel insurance advised though.

andymcdonnell

Sorry to hijack this thread slightly, but aside from Antigua where’s actually open for travel that’s “reasonably” likely you won’t get stranded in?

I was booked to CPT but obviously that’s gone.

I then booked CUN with AF but I’m concerned that the French govt will bring in the same requirements that the Dutch govt brought in for a PCR test for transit and I’ll struggle to get a test in CUN. There’s been a schedule change so I can get my money back.

I’m half thinking of just trying to find somewhere reasonably open in Europe but happy to look at alternatives (based in DUB btw)

antichef

Can't offer any help, but thank you for bringing back memories of when I was marooned in Antigua nearly 40 years ago.

However I had sailed there by taking a boat across the ocean. The return flight was brought forward and we did not make it! I was stuck there for a few weeks. My only concern (quite unfounded ) was that I might run out of money.

I got friendly with the lady who ran the charter boats parked next door. She is busy doing a jigsaw puzzle across the room as I type this!

Athena53

My guess would be useless. I had a tour cut short in Bolivia last March when the first lockdowns happened. I was in La Paz and trying to find a flight home, which was near impossible without connecting in another country because the altitude at LPB makes it harder for big planes to get enough power to lift off. One flight I booked through Bogota became useless when Columbia closed to transiting passengers.

Finally, I left it to the tour company even though I'd made my flight arrangements independently. Bless them, they got us on a flight connecting in Santa Cruz to a nonstop on Boliviana to Miami.

Later I tried to file a claim for the flight from Bogota that I hadn't been able to take. They denied it. Not being able to fly due to "government action" was not covered, :-( And that policy was written pre-pandemic. I imagine the ones they're writing now have anything remotely connected to the pandemic excluded in no uncertain terms.

bluemoon68

Dubai.

baflyer

I can add a bit of info from the situation in November where we were left in Antigua following the cancellation of the flights.
BA tried to encourage us into the last flight back, however this would have cut short our trip so we declined this option. BA were then able to rebook us on a return via Miami in business (for reference we had Club Avios tickets), however due to the 14 day requirement to be out of the UK to enter the US, this meant extending our stay in Antigua by 5 days. When we got back I claimed £200 a night for the extra 5 nights hotel expenses which BA paid out without question. My travel insurance then covered the rest to the full hotel cost.

SK AAR

Sorry, but I'm the only one thinking, why the h... are you traveling to Antigua or elsewhere for leisure during the height of a national health crisis?

Seems quite irresponsible to me - and oblivious to expect others, including BA to solve the issue of getting back to the UK

Just my cents when reading this and other similar posts in this forum.

oceanscape

If BA won't cancel the flights then they should darn well "solve the issue" of getting people who choose to travel back to the UK. The ball is in BA's court. 99% of the pax on the flights to Antigua, the other Caribbean islands, the Maldives and - heck, probably >95% of people on the DXB flights ATM too, are leisure travellers. You should also bear in mind that foreign leisure holiday travel is still legally permissible for those of us living in Tier 3. Yes, this may change any moment but that is the current position.

1Aturnleft

Not just a national health crisis.....
It was probably booked in good faith at a time when the situation was a lot more stable. Although I'm glad I'm not the only one shaking my head in disbelief - especially at the situation of extending stays and expecting others to pick up the bill..... and not only that, saying it with a straight face.

I used to work for a tour operator and in the volcanic ash cloud situation in 2010 we had clients in Dubai decline 4* accommodation in the city and F&B when EK cancelled their flights DXB-LHR (offered by EK as part of their obligation to stranded Y passengers), insisting they were on a 5* holiday and so went back to Jumeirah Beach and racked up huge bills in Burj Al Arab until they could fly home and expected us (tour operator) to pay for it. It didn't happen, not would the travel insurance touch it as they had declined suitable assistance offered by the airline as part of the package purchased. Expensive lesson learned for a lot of people and each time I see something extremely generous get allowed it frustrates the hell out of me that people seem to not only take it for granted but want to exploit it for more..... and feel justified to do so.

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BlueThroughCrimp

You should also remember in life it’s legally permissible to do many things, such as people going hillwalking / mountaineering without proper equipment, navigation aids and in a pair of flip flops.

Doesn’t make it a good idea and there may well be consequences.