New Zealand - 14 day isolation to be enforced, but my holiday is 12 days.

urbanmac

I have a 2 week family holiday booked to New Zealand on 1st April. Flying into Christchurch picking up a motorhome to travel around South Island and North Island then fly out of Auckland, saved up and booked 11 months ago.

NZ government has stated anyone coming to NZ must isolate for 14 days and not move around the country. Are we meant to turn up at the motorhome hire place and sit in it for 14 nights! But then how do we get our flight home from Auckland?

Everything was booked on credit card and we have yearly worldwide travel insurance but so far nothing is actually cancelled by the airline or motorhome company and the FCO have no guidance on travel. Motorhome company has a policy that if cancellation is later than 20 days (which it is now) then we only get 50% back.

Any advice here from MSE experts?

comeandgo

Are you sure that's what is meant in New Zealand as self isolation?  Trip Adviser, the New Zealand forum page have a discussion going on there.  

Caz3121

the position https://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2020/03/14/mil-osi-new-zealand-major-steps-taken-to-protect-new-zealanders-from-covid-19/#_edn1
at this point in time it is not known whether this will be requirement at your date of travel
"These restrictions will all be reviewed in 16 days’ time."

urbanmac

Found it, thanks.

Westin

Check your unnamed airline website for details of travel waivers for flights to NZ.

urbanmac

Westin said:

Check your unnamed airline website for details of travel waivers for flights to NZ.

Emirates, no updates since Thursday on their website!

Westin

Unfortunately probably a case of keep checking. 

The airline travel advisories will not be immediate. The news from NZ was relatively fresh.  I would hope and expect for updates 24h post news so probably sometime today.

It is frustrating but we need to allow time for new Government restrictions to be conveyed to airlines, them to understand and interpret, then plan around and issue new policy and travel waivers.

We are in a similar situation. My son is due to fly to Australia for 9 nights tomorrow on Qantas.  Wife and I to fly to Australia via Singapore on Wednesday.  

urbanmac

@Westin
I simplified my first post, we are in Australia before we go to NZ for 3 night stopover, now Australia are imposing 14 day isolation there is no way for us to then get to NZ.

I guess you are the same for yourself and your son. Have you managed to get info from Quantas? Emirates as proving to be useless at the moment, promised a call back in 12-15hours.

onwards&upwards

urbanmac said:

Emirates as proving to be useless at the moment, promised a call back in 12-15hours.

That doesn't seem too bad considering the insane workload their staff must be dealing with at the moment.

Westin

@urbanmac : 
We took a travel waiver voucher on my son’s Qantas ticket.  This was done via MMB on the airline site which in fairness published clear step-by-step guidance on how to do this.  He/we would have preferred a refund but call wait times to reach Qantas through the day ranged between 5-6 hours.

For us I still need to cancel the SQ tickets for Wednesday.  The airline IMO was very slow to issue policy and update their website (no doubt wondering why they had 4h call waits to their call centre) but finally did so at 23:00h Singapore time yesterday.  They are now offering a quite acceptable waiver but annoyingly don’t say how to apply for this unless you attempt to call them.  I can’t see any options to do this under MMB. The cycle continues.

Rest of travel plans dismantled with full refunds (thankful that I never book non-refundable rates, just in case..)

Travel and stay safe.

urbanmac

onwards&upwards said:

urbanmac said:

Emirates as proving to be useless at the moment, promised a call back in 12-15hours.

That doesn't seem too bad considering the insane workload their staff must be dealing with at the moment.

the call back system is not working, 3 times I've tried to get a call back 3 fails. Call wait time is now 25 hours.