Thoughts on flying?

[AngelaGT]

I have a flight scheduled for the end of June and am undecided if I will go.

I am reading that airlines are not adhering to social distancing guidelines. Not sure if that is true.

I am nervous, but can't contact Expedia regarding the flight until 10 days prior.

What are your thoughts on flying?

[catz]

They are not.  I would not unless I had to for the time being.  
 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/05/is-flying-safe-coronavirus/611335/

[Pen]

4 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

They are not.  I would not unless I had to for the time being.  
 

I agree. 

 

[Miss Tick]

42 minutes ago, angelaguptathomas said:

I am reading that airlines are not adhering to social distancing guidelines.

What would that even mean?

I would try to avoid flying if at all possible.

[Pen]

2 minutes ago, SusanC said:

What would that even mean?

 

 

Filling all seats

instead of skipping between non family members

[Lanny]

First, in the future, I suggest that you purchase airline tickets directly from the airline involved. When you purchase an airline ticket from a Travel Agency (brick and mortar or OTA like Expedia) you are their customer and you are not the customer of the airline. If there are issues, the airline will refer you back to the Travel Agency. That's normal.

Secondly, I read the story about the 25 doctors and medical personnel who were on the United flight from I believe NYC to SFO. Bad publicity for United.  

Do not cancel your flight. If the airline cancels your flight, as happened to my daughter on American for a flight to Colombia last week (no Domestic or International flights are permitted here at this time) then there is a chance you can get a Refund, which is much better than a Credit.

Notice that I wrote that there are no Domestic or International flights permitted within or to/from Colombia at this time. That is due to the Covid-19 coronavirus issues and is quite explicit regarding the understanding of the Colombian government, with regard to risks of Covid-19 aboard Civil Turbojet aircraft and in airports at this time. They are more strict here which is not always a bad thing. It is for your protection and mine.

If I was going to fly, I would try to go on SPIRIT AIRLINES if they fly between your Origin and Destination cities. They are the strongest of the major U.S. carriers financially and they have a very young fleet and they will do their best to provide separation between passengers. I am not positive if they guarantee that the Middle Seats are empty, because frequently families or people traveling together want to be sitting together, but if that's not your case, better to have the Middle Seats vacant if possible.

I would not contact Expedia. Wait and see. If the airline cancels your flight and it qualifies, hopefully the early April 2020 U.S. Dept. of Transportation Enforcement Order will help you get a Refund, but I am not positive that applies to tickets purchased from a Travel Agency. If you cancel, you will not get a Refund. You will get a Credit.  

End of June is quite a few weeks away. If it is a very short flight within the USA I would probably go for it, assuming there are no quarantine or other issues at the destination. A long flight I don't know. In the case of my DD the longest flight (Fort Lauderdale or Miami to Cali) is less than 4 hours, from Gate to Gate. Longer than that, I would be more hesitant, with each additional hour of scheduled flight. 

[73349]

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Edited October 2, 2020 by Carolina Wren

[SquirrellyMama]

My daughters and I have a flight in July to AZ to see my parents. If it isn't cancelled we will go. 

We are flying from and into relatively small airports so that will hopefully be helpful. 

Kelly

[Shoeless]

Not a chance would I get on a plane right now.  

Is there any way you could drive to your destination instead? 

[J-rap]

I'd only fly right now if it were an emergency.  We have a couple of possible trips planned in the late summer (August).  They are not emergency trips, but neither are they just vacation trips.  We're not ruling those out yet.  Time will tell.

[Corraleno]

2 hours ago, Lanny said:

If I was going to fly, I would try to go on SPIRIT AIRLINES if they fly between your Origin and Destination cities. They are the strongest of the major U.S. carriers financially...

According to this recent article, Spirit is actually one of the weaker airlines. Barron's rated five US carriers, with 30 being the maximum score for financial health and ability to weather the current crisis: Southwest (30), Delta (28), United (20), Spirit (19), American (12). 

[madteaparty]

If my flight at end of June for myself and little DD goes, I will go. Alas, it’s to Italy and France and I don’t think those countries are letting Americans in, wisely so. 

[LucyStoner]

We cancelled non-essential June travel including plans to fly to Denver.  
 

I have a friend who is working as a flight attendant.  Some flights are full, others are one person or less per row.  

[PeterPan]

If the travel is essential and everyone is wearing masks, I'd just get on the plane and go. That's assuming you're low risk and that it's really necessary. It's just an accepted risk. It's not guaranteed you'd get sick on the flight, only a crapshoot. And if everyone is wearing masks and you need to get there, I'd just do it, sure. 

[DawnM]

I flew 4 weeks ago.  There were probably 30 people on each flight from NC to NV and then about 50-60 on each return flight.  I was able to have social distancing for the most part, but it was still a plane.  It is germy without Covid.  

I wouldn't have gone if I didn't have to.

My dad is moving her on June 2nd from Phoenix and still plans to fly.   I am hoping it will be ok.

[Pam in CT]

I would not travel unless it were an absolutely non-negotiable emergency. If it were an absolutely non-negotiable emergency I would look to drive, even across country. There cannot be "social distancing" on a plane. Even if, as whitehawk described upthread, there were only one passenger *per row,* the a/c would be blowing any airborne droplets freely throughout the cabin.

(It makes me terribly sad to say this. I really, really love traveling.)

[NorthwestMom]

14 minutes ago, Pam in CT said:

I would not travel unless it were an absolutely non-negotiable emergency. If it were an absolutely non-negotiable emergency I would look to drive, even across country. There cannot be "social distancing" on a plane. Even if, as whitehawk described upthread, there were only one passenger *per row,* the a/c would be blowing any airborne droplets freely throughout the cabin.

(It makes me terribly sad to say this. I really, really love traveling.)

I agree with you emotionally, Pam, but not objectively. Driving across the country would likely expose you a greater number of germs.  How many total bathroom, food, and hotel stops would you need to make? Even if you packed food and slept in your car, at some point you are going to have to poop, and you are going to have to stop at gas stations to refill your tank.

For a non-negotiable emergency I would fly, but not for any other reason. 

[gardenmom5]

I have a favorite airline - and always purchase directly.  I've found I can get cheaper seats than a travel agency.  Even then, they have "non-refundable" seats and refundable seats.  (with refundable - I'm more likely to get notices they are bumping people and asking if I want to "voluntarily" be bumped with remuneration. as well as "would you like to check your bag for free?" when I check in for my flight.).   

I bought the refundable because I had been so sick in jan/feb and just didn't know what was going to happen.   I was supposed to have left Saturday, but I finally broke down in april and cancelled everything just because there are too many questions.  (I've flown united once in the last twenty years - my airline didn't fly there that day - boy was I sorry.  never again. - not that anything terrible happened, just very uncomfortable seats and no direct flights to where I was going.)

My flight was 'rescheduled", but not cancelled.  because I bought a refundable ticket, I had zero issue in getting a refund, and it has been credited back to my CC.  (departure time had changed by two hours, and I was told to contact the airline.  which I didn't do - then that notice was gone from the website - so for all I know, they combined flights and that flight was now full.)

I'm hoping things will be better enough by august to go - at worst, I WILL go in Nov as grandbaby #2 is due then.

 

incidentally - I sometimes took hotels through a site, but at least they tell me what's available.  I've also had to book directly with the hotel as the travel site didn't offer what I was looking for.  so, I always check the hotel sites too. 

[Tap]

I am flying soon. The flight is barely booked right now, so it doesn't look like we will be side by side unless it fills before then. I will take precautions including wearing a new N95 mask for the entire time. I have hospital grade wipes to clean any surfaces I touch. I will likely not eat or drink at all in the airport/plane but it is only a 2 hour flight, so no biggie. I won't go to the airport very early and plan to quarantine the bags. 

I will be careful but won't stress too much. I will put in my earbuds, close my eyes and hopefully stay in that position until I arrive at my destination. 🙂

I work in healthcare so honestly, I am just as likely to get sick at work. 

[TravelingChris]

I will be flying at some point though do not know when, I am trying to get in at Mayo Clinic Arizona and supposedly my neuropathy test will be delivered to my neurologist later today and I can get the ball rolling on that appointment.  

We were originally going to fly for our 35th anniversary trip to North Dakota, South Dakota, a bit of Wyoming and Nebraska in September.  We changed our trip to a complete road trip because the car rental would have been 2700 at the cheapest for what we needed- a car that can go off road since many of the National Parks and other roads we will want to go on are not paved.

[CAJinBE]

I was scheduled to fly from Belgium to the US on 3 June but I just checked my confirmation on Delta and it seems my trip "may have been cancelled." I am wondering why I didn't get an email. When do airlines typically let you know your trip is cancelled? Are we really supposed to keep checking and figure this out on our own? 

I'm very frustrated with Delta right now. I know people who have repatriated, did the 14-day quarantine thing and are fine now. I'm more worried about the travel stress than the virus at this point .

[Shoeless]

5 hours ago, NorthwestMom said:

I agree with you emotionally, Pam, but not objectively. Driving across the country would likely expose you a greater number of germs.  How many total bathroom, food, and hotel stops would you need to make? Even if you packed food and slept in your car, at some point you are going to have to poop, and you are going to have to stop at gas stations to refill your tank.

For a non-negotiable emergency I would fly, but not for any other reason. 

 

I'm not sure it's riskier to drive than to fly.  Being in an enclosed space, breathing in the same air as dozens of other people for 1-2 hours vs a few seconds of handling a gas pump...eh, I'd be driving. 

The Risks

[Laura Corin]

58 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

 

I'm not sure it's riskier to drive than to fly.  Being in an enclosed space, breathing in the same air as dozens of other people for 1-2 hours vs a few seconds of handling a gas pump...eh, I'd be driving. 

The Risks

You would have to take into account the other risks of driving, which is essentially riskier than flying.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3233376/

[Carrie12345]

There’s no way I would get on a plane in 2020 “for fun”. I can imagine doing it out of necessity, but I’m not going to list reasons and tempt fate. 😉 I’ll just leave it at I wouldn’t do it unless I really had to.

[SKL]

My main concerns would be that all travel-related plans will be impacted by temporary changes, and also that you may be required to self-quarantine, which could be the biggest issue for some people.

It is hard to predict how things will be until closer to your travel date.  Sounds like you can only wait it out anyway.

Basically like everything else this year.  Impossible to really plan.

[Lanny]

10 hours ago, Corraleno said:

According to this recent article, Spirit is actually one of the weaker airlines. Barron's rated five US carriers, with 30 being the maximum score for financial health and ability to weather the current crisis: Southwest (30), Delta (28), United (20), Spirit (19), American (12). 

 

Hello Corraleno: I have read MANY things about SPIRIT AIRLINES in the past year or two.  My understanding is that they began 2020 with approximately one billion USD in the bank. They have also, recently, I believe, gotten additional funds, from a line of credit. Even though SPIRIT is burning cash, like all of the other carriers, they have the capability of burning cash for a lot longer than the other carriers in that list.  The information I have read (much of it is for Investors in the stock market from articles that are in my Google feed) is that SPIRIT is in the best financial shape of the major U.S. carriers and then Southwest is #2.  Delta is and always has been, IMO, a very well run airline and of the old time airlines, is probably right behind Southwest.

I agree with the very low score you quoted for American Airlines.  We just had our flag carrier (Avianca) file for Bankruptcy in New York, 3 days ago, on Sunday afternoon. They were very weak financially, before the Covid-19.   I suspect American Airlines is the most likely of the carriers in your post to go into bankruptcy. Hopefully that will not happen and hopefully my DD will get a Refund on her cancelled flight from the USA from American.

SPIRIT AIRLINES has a very young fleet and they are very agile.  After several false starts for Humanitarian flights for U.S. Citizens to the USA (the first was a United Airlines flight from Bogota to Houston that never happened, and then there were a couple of U.S. Military and ICE flights that never happened) the U.S. Embassy /U.S. State Dept. got SPIRIT AIRLINES to run those Humanitarian flights and I receive frequent emails from the Embassy, telling where they are leaving from and on what day. They go to Fort Lauderdale and then the passengers can connect to other U.S. cities.

[Lanny]

12 hours ago, whitehawk said:

I think June's too soon, even the end of June, if it can be helped at all.

There's the plane, and who's on it with you--If you can smell the hand sanitizer being applied by somebody in the next row, particles in the air are wafting your way--and also the air and surfaces of two or three airports, and the passengers in them, and the staff in them. (I look at Mecklenburg County, NC, where Charlotte is a major airline hub, and its 2000+ confirmed cases, and suppose some infected but undiagnosed people may work at the airport.) And the flight attendants who have been around other passengers from all over the place every day. You can wear a mask, but if you're going to eat or drink, it comes off, so the longer your travel day, the worse. Unlike a lot of other decisions, once you're on the plane, it's a fairly irrevocable choice, even if someone two seats away from you is coughing.

Two meters' distance isn't leaving middle seats empty. It would be more like putting one person in a window seat in each row, alternating left and right sides of the plane--that is, 3/4 to 5/6 empty, depending on the kind of plane. I don't know if airlines can afford to run flights that empty.

I agree with Lanny: Always book directly with the airline or hotel, even if you use somebody else's site to browse or comparison shop first.

 

In the past month or so, I have seen a couple of simulations on the web about the spread of Covid-19 (and I assume other viruses) if someone coughs or sneezes, in a Supermarket where they are taking precautions, or in a Civil Turbojet aircraft. The speed and distance the particles (germs, etc.) travel is rather astonishing.

The first case of Covid-19 here in Colombia was a passenger who arrived on a flight from Spain. At this moment, they are showing 493 deaths.  Probably that is why there are no Domestic or International flights allowed here at this time. Only the Humanitarian flights and Cargo flights are permitted. 

I suspect they might begin allow a few Domestic flights to operate, starting in June and if that goes well possibly some International flights in July, but they are being much more cautious that what I see about Domestic flights in the USA. 

For sure, I would not want to be on a long Trans-Pacific flight at this time. We would have liked for DD to come last week from NC to Colombia, and fortunately both flights are short (the flight from South Florida is about 3 hours and 15 minutes, wheels up to wheels down, but there is also time on the ground, after the Push Back from the Gate and time taxiing to the gate after landing at the destination, so approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes.

The airlines are learning about how to better clean their aircraft and how to better protect the passengers and crews and this is another excellent reason to always try to take the first flight in the morning and not a flight at night.

 

[Pam in CT]

re relative risks of driving v flying

11 hours ago, NorthwestMom said:

I agree with you emotionally, Pam, but not objectively. Driving across the country would likely expose you a greater number of germs.  How many total bathroom, food, and hotel stops would you need to make? Even if you packed food and slept in your car, at some point you are going to have to poop, and you are going to have to stop at gas stations to refill your tank.

For a non-negotiable emergency I would fly, but not for any other reason. 

Well, all my loved ones except one are within 7 hours' driving distance, and I'm 1.5 hours from the airport, so with transit time on both ends and 2-hour prior checking, flying has never been faster than driving even before all this. Flying requires parking the car (touching the turnstile buttons, handling the ticket), getting from the lot to the terminal (elevator buttons), showing ID, touching the security machine bins etc before getting on the plane, renting a car (with all the attendant surface touching of getting the rental, plus the surfaces of the rental itself) upon arrival... so there's at least as much surface-touching (and in our case, as many bathroom breaks) as a few service stops along the drive.  But in any event the science so far suggests most transmission is airborne droplets, not surface germs, so I'm far more focused on that... and being in our car with the same husband/kids I've been isolated with is a LOT better than forced air from flight attendants and follow passengers swooshing around the cabin.

Our one loved one we would ordinarily fly to is in Miami, twenty hours' drive. She's 82, definitely at risk.  My husband and I have discussed it: we would drive straight through, taking turns.  No hotel stops, just service stations. Our neighbors just lost a relative in Iowa, to whose spouse they just left doing the same thing, straight through the night with their toddler and dog sleeping in the back.

YMMV. People have different circumstances,, people assess the relative risks differently, all of which is fine. That isn't "emotion" over "objective" reasoning, just different priorities.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Pam in CT

[Shoeless]

15 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

You would have to take into account the other risks of driving, which is essentially riskier than flying.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3233376/

 

I don't see why I would have to take into consideration the risk of an automobile accident vs an airplane crash when trying to determine whether the chance of contracting cv-19 is greater on an airplane or in my own car. Also, the article is 9 years old, so completely irrelevant to today's issue of covid-19.

 

 

[matrips]

23 hours ago, PeterPan said:

If the travel is essential and everyone is wearing masks, I'd just get on the plane and go. That's assuming you're low risk and that it's really necessary. It's just an accepted risk. It's not guaranteed you'd get sick on the flight, only a crapshoot. And if everyone is wearing masks and you need to get there, I'd just do it, sure. 

Masks are required to board the plane, but not enforced to be kept on once on the flight.

[Laura Corin]

4 hours ago, MissLemon said:

 

I don't see why I would have to take into consideration the risk of an automobile accident vs an airplane crash when trying to determine whether the chance of contracting cv-19 is greater on an airplane or in my own car. Also, the article is 9 years old, so completely irrelevant to today's issue of covid-19.

I'm sorry, you seem upset with me. Please ignore what I said if it's not what you want to think about right now.

I was just musing on our perceptions of risk and giving the example of 9/11, when people chose the riskier option (driving) because the horror of the twin towers was fresh in their minds. Right now, the horror of Covid19 is fresh in our minds, so we tend to play down other risks, for example road deaths. I don't know where the higher risk lies at present between flying and driving.

[Shoeless]

17 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I'm sorry, you seem upset with me. Please ignore what I said if it's not what you want to think about right now.

I was just musing on our perceptions of risk and giving the example of 9/11, when people chose the riskier option (driving) because the horror of the twin towers was fresh in their minds. Right now, the horror of Covid19 is fresh in our minds, so we tend to play down other risks, for example road deaths. I don't know where the higher risk lies at present between flying and driving.

Oh no, I'm not upset.  I can be rather verbose, and I've been trying to be more concise lately.  Maybe I've gone too far in the wrong direction, and I'm coming across angry, lol!

It's true that we often underestimate the risks we take on a daily basis. 

I think part of what is causing so much anxiety for people right now is that there isn't enough information about covid-19 to be able to evaluate individual risk very accurately. I know that cases are very low in my town and county, and the odds of me coming in contact with a covid-19 carrier are very low. I feel pretty comfortable going into stores, and I'm beginning to consider bringing my son along with me the next time I go, just so he can get out of the house for a bit.  (There are less than 10 active cases in a town of 26,000 people).  But I can't figure out what the risk is of him going back to art classes. The classes are small, but it's a confined space for 2 hours with a bunch of other people that have been who-knows-where.  The drive-in theater seems fine, but the regular movie theater seems potentially risky because you don't know who's breathing on you. What about the town pool? It's out doors and the chlorine would kill any virus in the water, but there would be a lot of people in close proximity to each other, and kids aren't going to maintain social distancing if they are having fun at the pool. 

There's a lot of unknowns.  So far all "They" seem to agree on is exposure time + viral dose = increased risk. I wish we all had concrete answers so we could relax a bit!

Edited May 14, 2020 by MissLemon

[Tenaj]

We've been trying to figure out the whole flying issue for a few weeks now.  Our elderly Aunt (I think she's 81) lives in Florida for the winter and here in the warmer months.  She flies back and forth now.  She's getting antsy to return but we don't think it's a great idea right now.  Technically she would have to quarantine for 14 days once here which means she would be by herself on the other side of town except for yard-visits.  Plus flying confuses and stressed her out in the best of circumstances.  Dealing with masks and social distancing seems like a lot for her.  We're trying to talk her into staying put for now.

 

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, JanOH said:

We've been trying to figure out the whole flying issue for a few weeks now.  Our elderly Aunt (I think she's 81) lives in Florida for the winter and here in the warmer months.  She flies back and forth now.  She's getting antsy to return but we don't think it's a great idea right now.  Technically she would have to quarantine for 14 days once here which means she would be by herself on the other side of town except for yard-visits.  Plus flying confuses and stressed her out in the best of circumstances.  Dealing with masks and social distancing seems like a lot for her.  We're trying to talk her into staying put for now.

 

How does she handle the heat? FL is *miserable* in the summer. My mother moved back north because of it. 

[Tenaj]

9 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

How does she handle the heat? FL is *miserable* in the summer. My mother moved back north because of it. 

That's probably the main reason she wants to get here.  Though she doesn't seem to go out and about too much normally and even less now, of course.  She has a/c, has good friends in the same complex and seems to be figuring out how to order groceries.  She does go outside to walk several times a day which will become an issue as the weather gets worse.

[PeterPan]

12 minutes ago, JanOH said:

That's probably the main reason she wants to get here.  Though she doesn't seem to go out and about too much normally and even less now, of course.  She has a/c, has good friends in the same complex and seems to be figuring out how to order groceries.  She does go outside to walk several times a day which will become an issue as the weather gets worse.

It's murder there in the summer. My mother's dh couldn't take it and they couldn't afford to have two residences. She may be more isolated with the FL summer weather than she would be if she came back and quarantined for two weeks. Also, if you don't get her out, hurricane season is looming. They're already seeing storms develop. Did she pretty much go back as the weather turned cooler up here and hurricane season was over? Going through that would be very stressful.

You could drive down, get her, maybe even stay with her for the two weeks of quarantine in the new state so she'd have company, and then she'd be good to go. Maybe take the 8 yo with you and just make it a party. Or have her fly. 

Are you feeling like our state is more dangerous than where she is? I mean, maybe it's a wash? If it's dramatically more dangerous in your area, like if it's very urban or a hotspot, that would factor in.

Old people are tough. I'd let her make her choice and trust her to be able to deal with it either way. If she wants to fly, she'll get through it. If she wants to stay, she'll get through it. That's assuming she's of sound mind, which it sounds like she is.

Edited May 14, 2020 by PeterPan

[Lanny]

On 5/13/2020 at 3:56 AM, CAJinBE said:

I was scheduled to fly from Belgium to the US on 3 June but I just checked my confirmation on Delta and it seems my trip "may have been cancelled." I am wondering why I didn't get an email. When do airlines typically let you know your trip is cancelled? Are we really supposed to keep checking and figure this out on our own? 

I'm very frustrated with Delta right now. I know people who have repatriated, did the 14-day quarantine thing and are fine now. I'm more worried about the travel stress than the virus at this point .

 

The different airlines do this differently and sometimes they do it in a way that is very unexpected.   DD had a ticket for flights on AA, from NC to Colombia, on 07 May 2020.  Colombia is on lockdown and there are no Domestic or International flights permitted here at this time because of Covid-19.  (Only Humanitarian and Cargo flights are permitted at this time).

So, knowing that AA would have to cancel her flight, because they cannot fly to Colombia, I told/asked/suggested to DD that she wait until she received an email from AA, that they had cancelled her flights, so they would Refund her $ instead of just giving her a (probably) worthless Credit. 

Surprise... Two weeks before the scheduled flights, AA called her on the phone. Wisely, she told them she would defer.

Then, I suggested not doing anything, waiting for AA to notify her they had cancelled her flights. She did request a refund, 2 days before she was scheduled to travel, on 05 May 2020 (again the trip was for 07 May 2020). The last time she checked, it was still showing "Pending". That was a few days ago. Hoping she will check tomorrow and that it will show that it was approved.

In your case, that's a very  long flight and if I assume I assume the trip is unavoidable and that you must take that flight.

If there are scheduled flights to the USA, then I doubt the U.S. Embassy will have any Humanitarian flights available for you to go on.

There is a web site https://thepointsguy.com/ that may have one or more articles, about Flight cancellations and Refunds and possibly even one specific to Delta. I would check for you there but I need to take care of the dogs.

BTW, IMO, Delta is a much better airline than American , and hopefully you will get a Refund without needing to threaten them. 

NOTE: As I told my DD, wait until the airline cancels your flight. If you cancel your flight, you will get a Credit. If they cancel your trip and it fits into the DoT Enforcement Notice rules, hopefully, you can get a Refund.

FYI, the "stay six feet apart" rule that we all know so well now, comes from studies of how SARS was passed between airline passengers -- this wikipedia article discusses how SARS may have been transmitted from an infected passenger to others sitting up to seven rows away:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_China_Flight_112

[CAJinBE]

I just got the cancellation emails. They said there are flights out of Amsterdam so I'll try that route. I do want to get home. Thanks for your advice Lanny. I had seen the points guy website and it is very informative. I hope you get to see you dd soon. 

[Lanny]

2 hours ago, CAJinBE said:

I just got the cancellation emails. They said there are flights out of Amsterdam so I'll try that route. I do want to get home. Thanks for your advice Lanny. I had seen the points guy website and it is very informative. I hope you get to see you dd soon. 

 

I'm glad that you are only going trans-Atlantic and not trans-Pacific which is 2 or 3 times farther.

A few minutes ago, I walked in to ask my DW if she thinks the weather will be OK   (83% overcast at this time) so we can see the International Space Station when it goes over our house in about 90 minutes. She was talking on the phone with a Colombian friend who lives in the L.A. area. The person who introduced me to SPIRIT AIRLINES some years ago.

She had a ticket to come here in May for her mothers birthday, on United. As I wrote upthread, Colombia is very strict with regard to Covid-19 and there are no Domestic or International flights and they haven't been permitted for some time.

United Airlines did not give her a Refund, for her cancelled flight.

She told me that she turned her Credit Card over and called the bank on the phone number on her CC.

Apparently her bank did a "Charge Back" and the $ she had paid to United Airlines went back into her CC account.  

Hopefully my DD will not need to do that with American Airlines, but that does give one another possibility of getting their money back from the airline involved.  

[*LC]

My oldest, who lives far away from us, is working from home for the rest of the year and has a long-standing ticket booked to come home for a long weekend this summer. We are thinking about moving the return flight to later in summer/Labor Day, so will have more time as a family. I'm okay with the plan if it happens; I would not be okay with a multi-day solo drive.

My sibling and oldest flew in March to retrieve stuff from dorm room. Their flight was empty. They rented a SUV and drove it college town; spent that night with my college kids; and then drove it to their home.

 

 

[FriedClams]

I fly Delta and would have no problem at all flying with them now.  

[Scarlett]

Dh's brother and wife cancelled their flight from CA to AR for mid June.  They researched it pretty carefully and the risk is just too high.  If anyone on the plane has it you are highly likely to contract it even with a mask on.  It can go through your eyes.

[Lanny]

Good news here!    DD Forwarded to me an email she received from American Airlines, for the trip from NC to Cali, Colombia, that was scheduled for May 7th. She requested a Refund to her CC account on 05 May I believe. The email from AA is dated May 14th and says the Refund was initiated on May 13th. It says that it may take up to 7 "business" days for the Credit from AA to show up on her Credit Card statement.

Also, I read an article in Forbes for Colombia, about how they will restore airline service here. When they do it, it will be in five (5) phases. The 4th phase will be for International flights. At the earliest, they will begin the first phase on 30 or 31 May, but there is no timetable at this time about the starting date of the process.