Holiday to USA (New York and Florida) End August 2020

Aeradia

Hi all

Just after some advice really, because I know there probably won't be a right answer here and I thank you for taking the time in advance.   My family and I are booked to go on the holiday of a lifetime this August to the USA, it has been booked for over a year now, the first leg is New York (flying with Virgin) and then we have interconnecting flights to Florida (Delta) and then home again using Virgin Atlantic.  We were planning to do the whole Disney thing while we were in Florida. We have paid £1600 deposit and our £7500 balance is now due (2 days overdue as it happens). 

We have booked our holiday through Travelplanners and had initially asked about moving the holiday to 2021, but whichever dates we choose in 2021 the price has hiked by almost £800-900 per person and we just cannot afford it as much as we would like to!  We have also asked for a delay in paying the rest of the balance until FCO guidance is updated but Travelplanners have refused stating they have suppliers to pay and I understand their plight here.  Feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, I understand that these companies are strugglng to stay afloat at the moment, but we simply cannot go on holiday next year if the price is too high!   Would you say we need to lose our deposit?  There is no way I feel safe travelling to the USA this year, what with all of the rioting currently going on, the R value over there is likely to rocket up soon. I'm reticent to hand over our £7500 savings to a smaller company which might fold!

Any advice would be appreciated here.

Alan_Bowen

No one can make a decision on whether to travel or not for you, but Travelplanners are part of a large travel group and won't disappear, even if they did your booking is protected by the ATOL scheme. A disinclination to travel is not covered by any insurer, and of course irrespective of the New York nightmare at present, the FCO advise against all travel everywhere and the US ban UK travellers anyway, so it is likely the whole thing will be cancelled anyway. If it is, you are entitled to a full refund but if you do not pay the balance, then you have voluntarily cancelled and may lose the whole deposit.
The problem with costs is that airlines are planning far fewer flights for the next couple of years and fares will be higher, as a result. Hotels in some destinations appear to think it is a good idea to try and recover their losses this year by increasing them next year, so those prices may fall but operators have to go on what they are being quoted at the moment.

Aeradia

Thanks for your response.  We are also being asked to front up more money for a deposit (despite already paying a deposit) because the 2021 holiday is technically a "new booking", can you guys advise whether we need to do this?