They are definitely giving refunds for flights that they cancel, though they aren't always up front about the refund option.

Can you spell LH .......

What unsuspecting customers? Who do you suppose is booking SFO-CTU right now, high price or otherwise?

(a) if they can't get somebody to CTU, they'll give them a refund.
(b) Anybody booking that flight right now knows what they're getting into
(c) UA hasn't even attempted to finalize their schedule past the first weekend of July yet.

The situation is bad enough; we don't need hyperbole.

Not everyone is a flyertalk member expert type travel booker. Many people book because they see flights and expect them to operate. I know a few friends here who have booked flights to Canada for early June, flights that will surely not fly but they think because AC sold them the ticket, they will go. There is no hyperbole in my post the airlines are selling flights they know will not fly, this is wrong.

Call me pessimistic, but I don't see possible UA flights to China until very late August, perhaps for many Chinese students coming to US to start the semester.

Even so, there is also a chance that many colleges in US won't run traditional classes in the fall. International students have trouble with visa too.

I think many students will take a gap year, or simply abandon their education in US. Their parents worry about safety of children in a country where people refuse to wear masks and do social distance, resulting wide spread infections. This applies to UK etc. as well.

The culture is very much different in China where people are willing to sacrifice liberty and freedom in order to be alive.

Difference being you're not going to get a refund out of AC. You will (eventually) get a refund out of UA.

There's a pretty massive difference between expecting that Canada might open the border and planning a trip to Sichuan. I'm confident that anybody buying those tickets is aware that they may need to make alternate plans.

You'd think that. But, over these past few weeks and months, it's clear that some folks book on hope and "wanna" - and then expect that the world revolves around them.

David

With a lot of rebookings from cancelled flights, lower fare classes must have run out quickly, if opened in the first place. My P fare SFO-CTU rebooked into J. They even attempted to rebook ANA issued award I-class to J, but rejected by ANA automatically. Anyway, I don't think China flights will resume in June.

I wouldn't go so far as surely not fly. With mounting pressures to reopen - I'd be somewhat surprised the border opens - but not shocked.

It's only May 8th - these next few weeks I believe will be a very fluid and changing situation regarding openings be it domestically and internationally. I think Governments has whether it be right or wrong come to the conclusion opening isn't a choice by inevitable

Just received an email from United that 6/9 SFO-CTU has been canceled. No surprise at all. However, United's email reads "We've processed your cancellation", which sounds like I requested the cancellation.

These people I mentioned are booking flights from China to Canada. Not from the USA. Sorry I wasn’t clear about that although I can’t really see any country, including Canada, opening themselves up to travelers from the USA or EU in June.

Plenty of other airlines are doing everything they can to provide credits instead of refunds, or those promising refunds but taking months and months; UA is hardly the only carrier. Ask me how I know. I can send you a list of at least 7 different carriers. That said, after some insistence, I am down to three carriers - AC, DL, HU.

My SQ flight was canceled. SQ sent me email saying it takes four months to issue refund.

Any carrier doing this is in the wrong. I understand they are desperate to survive but their customers are also likely to be in less than ideal situations as well. In the case of China, until they announce an opening of the border to foreigners, airlines shouldn’t be selling tickets to non Chinese citizens.