Booking travel in 2020 for 2021
Jul 18, 2020, 5:34 pm
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Programs: No programs & No Points!!!
Posts: 14,222
I'm not booking anything yet. I don't see the need to have to book so far in advance. As for insurance, there will be none that covers Covid and I don't wan to be in the USA if I have to go to hospital.
Jul 20, 2020, 7:35 am
#32
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: WAS
Programs: Virtuoso TA, UA 1MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 445
I've always gotten hotel/airline points/miles back immediately after canceling... Have you or others had point redeposits be more painful than revenue ticket refunds?
Jul 20, 2020, 8:14 am
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,948
My experience has been the same as yours. Near instant redeposit of points. And in my case only one rez required a call in.
Jul 20, 2020, 8:43 am
#34
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: Southwest, Alaska, United, American Airlines
Posts: 994
AMEX refused AFKL chargeback claims for NL and FR residents as the pandemic upheaval impacted flight schedules. As the pandemic continues, I expect travel companies and merchants everywhere to ramp up the frustration factor on chargebacks and refunds. More to the point, given the uncertainties of the moment the smart play is to minimize "new money" out of pocket travel spend as much as possible.
Jul 21, 2020, 7:09 am
#35
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: PSC
Posts: 45
I was looking at some potential bookings for late fall (decided to not do so), noticed on the booking dot com site, some payment options for non refundable, have a notation that they remain non refundable even if covid stops travel. No way I would book those at this time. So far I've received all refunds without issue for 2020 and the stress of waiting for airline to cancel and uncertainty of countries opening up, is something I'll avoid for the foreseeable future.
Jul 21, 2020, 11:40 am
#36
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AS 75K (OW), SK Silver (*A), UR, MR
Posts: 3,347
Friday's nonstop SK SFO-CPH (exempt) tempts me. But nothing beyond then.
Mayor Breed on CNN: 'We are living in COVID for the next 12 to 18 months'
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/artic...r-15415545.php
Mayor Breed on CNN: 'We are living in COVID for the next 12 to 18 months'
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/artic...r-15415545.php
Jul 21, 2020, 5:38 pm
#37
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,610
My biggest issue isn't 2021, but booking flights for this Christmas-NewYear timeframe. From the US, I'd really like to go somewhere warmer for the holidays, Carribean or Pacific Islands - but there is no clue on what will be open, and my concern is that by the time there is some more clarity (say, around November), the flight prices will be too expensive for the holidays (typically we buy these flights 365 days in advance on awards, those won't work any more).
Jul 21, 2020, 10:46 pm
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,948
My well-traveled HS senior has been in intense convos with friends about a European backpacking trip next summer. I don’t have the heart to tell him it ain’t gonna happen. I figure whatever disappointment he ultimately may feel, at least it won’t be my fault. Even if Europe opens, I doubt many of these parents (myself included) will feel comfortable letting our newly minted adult children run wild on the Eurail with everything we’ve seen.
Jul 22, 2020, 10:38 pm
#39
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Greater Chicagoland Area
Programs: frontier Elite, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,455
My well-traveled HS senior has been in intense convos with friends about a European backpacking trip next summer. I don’t have the heart to tell him it ain’t gonna happen. I figure whatever disappointment he ultimately may feel, at least it won’t be my fault. Even if Europe opens, I doubt many of these parents (myself included) will feel comfortable letting our newly minted adult children run wild on the Eurail with everything we’ve seen.
Jul 22, 2020, 10:45 pm
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,948
He has no money, but yes no stopping him technically. Thankfully he’s a great kid with deference to those who propose rational arguments better than his own. And I’d hazard a guess that most kids in the summer after high school graduation don’t have a couple Gs to blow on a trip.
Jul 23, 2020, 2:27 am
#41
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 6
I know many of us are thinking about trips for next year. We canceled 3 weeks in Asia this summer, and now I’d like to rebook that for summer 2021. I’m wondering if the rest of you are starting to book 2021 family trips and what sort of precautions you’re taking: type of insurance, destination, particular airline, award vs paid (best cancel policy?), etc.
Jul 23, 2020, 8:19 am
#42
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Continental Onepass, Hilton, Marriott, USAir and now UA
Posts: 6,443
My biggest issue isn't 2021, but booking flights for this Christmas-NewYear timeframe. From the US, I'd really like to go somewhere warmer for the holidays, Carribean or Pacific Islands - but there is no clue on what will be open, and my concern is that by the time there is some more clarity (say, around November), the flight prices will be too expensive for the holidays (typically we buy these flights 365 days in advance on awards, those won't work any more).
Since I do not believe that we will have a widely distributed vaccine available by this new year, I would only book travel that can be done with assurances of refunds if and when cancelled.
If you book it, there is a great likelihood that you are going to be cancelling it
Jul 23, 2020, 2:03 pm
#43
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: MSP
Posts: 475
My well-traveled HS senior has been in intense convos with friends about a European backpacking trip next summer. I don’t have the heart to tell him it ain’t gonna happen. I figure whatever disappointment he ultimately may feel, at least it won’t be my fault. Even if Europe opens, I doubt many of these parents (myself included) will feel comfortable letting our newly minted adult children run wild on the Eurail with everything we’ve seen.
I can see a world in 6-12 months where tests are readily available at border crossings and pretty much all countries will allow access after a brief test that doesn't take 5 days to come back.
The travel industry is going to invest big in any tech that will fix their huge problem and already have plans to get it done.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53495768
Jul 24, 2020, 12:12 am
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
Am considering pulling the trigger on 4 saver award seats for summer of 2021 and knew I would find a thread on point!
Until this year this would be a no-brainer an easy decision, as it is usually impossible to find 4 saver award business class seats on a TATL nonstop. But I will have to transfer valuable Chase UR points and would prefer not to have miles stuck in UA if we are forced to cancel due to COVID. Of course, that's not a terrible worse case scenario, as I have lifetime UA status and miles don't expire (at least until the airline does).
Is this an easy call or should I be hesitant to book anything 11 months out?
Until this year this would be a no-brainer an easy decision, as it is usually impossible to find 4 saver award business class seats on a TATL nonstop. But I will have to transfer valuable Chase UR points and would prefer not to have miles stuck in UA if we are forced to cancel due to COVID. Of course, that's not a terrible worse case scenario, as I have lifetime UA status and miles don't expire (at least until the airline does).
Is this an easy call or should I be hesitant to book anything 11 months out?
Jul 24, 2020, 8:48 am
#45
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, MLife Gold, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Caesars Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,948
Am considering pulling the trigger on 4 saver award seats for summer of 2021 and knew I would find a thread on point!
Until this year this would be a no-brainer an easy decision, as it is usually impossible to find 4 saver award business class seats on a TATL nonstop. But I will have to transfer valuable Chase UR points and would prefer not to have miles stuck in UA if we are forced to cancel due to COVID. Of course, that's not a terrible worse case scenario, as I have lifetime UA status and miles don't expire (at least until the airline does).
Is this an easy call or should I be hesitant to book anything 11 months out?
Until this year this would be a no-brainer an easy decision, as it is usually impossible to find 4 saver award business class seats on a TATL nonstop. But I will have to transfer valuable Chase UR points and would prefer not to have miles stuck in UA if we are forced to cancel due to COVID. Of course, that's not a terrible worse case scenario, as I have lifetime UA status and miles don't expire (at least until the airline does).
Is this an easy call or should I be hesitant to book anything 11 months out?