US Flying Options (with BA)

Ben1989

In a nutshell, my wife and daughter are American and we booked to fly on 16th November 2020 for thanksgiving. I'm British but I am granted entry for being a direct family member.

Obviously with the travel ban this throws obvious doubt onto the flight. I'm after advice on what you all would do?

We booked directly with BA with their 'buy with confidence' so we'll have no issue cancelling and getting a voucher. We were thinking moving flying til over Christmas when lockdown has been lifted. Not better than thanksgiving but still a nice family occasion.

However, say lockdown gets extended past 2nd December and are still unable to fly, I can't imagine we can move those flights again? Would anybody know? 

Another option is, wait for the flight to potentially get cancelled, get a refund, book over Christmas with the 'buy with confidence' and then have the flexibility.

However, it's Heathrow to Newark which is a major travel route. I seriously don't see it being cancelled.

Thrugelmir

I suspect the majority of people would take the sensible decision and not travel at all until the picture becomes more settled. Winter months are likely to prove the most challenging across the Northern Hemisphere. . 

silvercar

If you cancel and get a voucher you can rebook what you want when you want (subject to availability), though it is the money that is held in the voucher not the route, so you have to watch the price.
If you rebooked something and then wanted to cancel, it would again be subject to either the fare rules or the 'book with confidence' (assuming they were in force when you rebooked). If you rebooked something that BA cancelled, you can go for a refund or a reschedule or a voucher.
I know some people are trying to play a risky game and rebooking for something that has a high chance of being cancelled, so that they can then move the dates to a more expensive time. It is a risky strategy because if the flight isn't cancelled you are left with a voucher rather than a refund, or a trip for dates you weren't keen on using.

Ben1989

Thrugelmir said:

I suspect the majority of people would take the sensible decision and not travel at all until the picture becomes more settled. Winter months are likely to prove the most challenging across the Northern Hemisphere. . 

We're coming round to this idea now. Obviously UK cases are at their highest and USA is creeping that way now too. We couldn't bare with infecting anyone. Think we've decided to knock this on the head until next year. 

Ben1989

Update: flight got cancelled today so no need to worry about vouchers etc now.

Still need to decide whether going for Christmas is a bright idea.

macman

Ben1989 said:

Thrugelmir said:

I suspect the majority of people would take the sensible decision and not travel at all until the picture becomes more settled. Winter months are likely to prove the most challenging across the Northern Hemisphere. . 

We're coming round to this idea now. Obviously UK cases are at their highest and USA is creeping that way now too. We couldn't bare with infecting anyone. Think we've decided to knock this on the head until next year. 

I wouldn't describe 120,000 new infections per day as 'creeping'. The rates in some of the mid-West states are now double the very highest in the UK. Beats me how that can happen in such rural places as Utah, Wyoming, Montana etc, where the population density is so low.

CKhalvashi

macman said:

Ben1989 said:

Thrugelmir said:

I suspect the majority of people would take the sensible decision and not travel at all until the picture becomes more settled. Winter months are likely to prove the most challenging across the Northern Hemisphere. . 

We're coming round to this idea now. Obviously UK cases are at their highest and USA is creeping that way now too. We couldn't bare with infecting anyone. Think we've decided to knock this on the head until next year. 

I wouldn't describe 120,000 new infections per day as 'creeping'. The rates in some of the mid-West states are now double the very highest in the UK. Beats me how that can happen in such rural places as Utah, Wyoming, Montana etc, where the population density is so low.

Unless it's some city dwellers disappearing initially and taking the initial cases with them?

They do have some large towns, which likely is where the spread start. I didn't notice how many people I met daily until very recently, same with how many things I touched.

Thrugelmir

macman said:

Ben1989 said:

Thrugelmir said:

I suspect the majority of people would take the sensible decision and not travel at all until the picture becomes more settled. Winter months are likely to prove the most challenging across the Northern Hemisphere. . 

We're coming round to this idea now. Obviously UK cases are at their highest and USA is creeping that way now too. We couldn't bare with infecting anyone. Think we've decided to knock this on the head until next year. 

I wouldn't describe 120,000 new infections per day as 'creeping'. The rates in some of the mid-West states are now double the very highest in the UK. Beats me how that can happen in such rural places as Utah, Wyoming, Montana etc, where the population density is so low.

Seventeen US states don't even mandate the wearing of masks apparently.  Hardly surprising. Given the lack of leadership from the top. Over the coming days the consequences may soon all be too apparent.