What does the immediate future of travel look like now due to the situation and aftermath of Coronavirus? 
Last week, I asked a couple of friends who work in the travel industry. There are new updates rolling out as we learn more and more about the new safety measures. My friend who works for an airlines said that social distancing will be practiced as well as wearing masks on planes.
I’m sure the questions I have are the same ones others have so I interviewed a friend who is a travel agent to learn the latest information on travel planning. Other information I heard on the news was from an executive with an airlines. He said they’ll be using a multi-layered approach and touched on several of the details. One of the details he mentioned was that the airlines he represents will be urging TSAs to begin temperature scans. There will be plexiglass added at check in/ticket counters. They will be using electrostatic fogging to clean the airplanes.
Diane Henderson at Journey House-Tulsa is who I interviewed regarding these issues.
As a travel agent, what do you know about the immediate future of travel? Is it true that masks are going to be required for flights? I’ve heard they won’t sell the middle seats on a plane (for distancing).
Yes, face coverings are required for American Airlines and flight attendants. All customers are required to wear face covering or masks while onboard the aircraft and they’ll distribute sanitizing wipes and face coverings to customers who don’t have them. Everyone will be required to have them while on the plane. They’ll be doing more thorough cleaning and doing that more often. They’re specifically targeting touchpoints in the cabin, expanded fogging with hospital grade disinfectant. All the planes have HEPA filters and they’re changing the cabin air once every 2-4 minutes. They’re increasing the frequency of cleaning airport waiting areas and encouraging social distancing.
The global level 4 health advisory is “do not travel internationally.” The cruise industry has been hit the hardest. It’s sad but I understand why. Most cruise lines have cancelled their cruises but they are gradually coming back. The whole Alaska cruise season is shut down. It’s so sad when you think of all the towns where the travel industry is people’s whole lives. All of the cruise lines, hotels, airlines are all adding extreme safety and sanitation precautions to encourage Americans to begin traveling again. Something we can all look forward to!
Southwest and American are scheduled to add international flights in early June. The hotels in Greece are getting ready to open up June 1 but not all of them are opening up. The hard part about international travel is that you don’t know what’s going to be open when you get there. I think you’ll see people camping and glamping, staying at resorts but not knowing what facilities are going to be open. When travel eventually gets more normal, I think people are going to go to Mexico (not Caribbean islands where it’s harder to get home) more national parks, Florida, California….
How do people proceed with travel planning with a travel agent?
We are not seeing clients–we are doing it by email and phone. Everything can be handled online or on zoom calls. Right now, I’m touching base with all of my clients and talking about future travel plans. I’ve done some cancelling and rebooking. I have booked a honeymoon for July.
How do refunds or insurance work?…and if another wave hits in the fall….
Insurance does not cover a pandemic. Any trip booked after January, the insurance doesn’t cover it. So what they need to do now is purchase the “cancel for any reason” insurance. The cruise lines are revising their policies to work with people to deal with the pandemic. They’re narrowing the window of time that you can cancel and rebook. Some are allowing you to cancel within two days of the trip to prevent sick people from getting on the ship.
How were those few cruise ships recently able to disembark during the quarantine? I heard about some ships that were at sea for weeks.
They have to work with the local authorities . The crews on the cruise ships have been exposed and the local authorities won’t let the ships dock.
I’ve read that we should we support domestic travel.
For sure. There are so many people who have not done the national parks, the Rocky Mountains, Canada, etc. There are so many beautiful places in North America.
Another friend of mine is a customer service rep for a U.S. airline. She informed me through this direct quote:
“All the passengers who fly must wear masks. If a passenger does not have one, we can supply a disposable one. Some airports are requiring passengers to wear a mask even in the terminal. Flight schedules are changing even daily. Please check with your airline 24 hours prior via their app, is best. The same rules still apply to carry-ons as they did before. (1 personal and 1 carry-on) Passengers are coming to the flights with 3 to 4 carry-ons. Gate prices can be costly if you have more than the allowed amount. International flights have changed dramatically; each country having their own rules. The airline I work for has added some flights back in the schedule, mostly for Americans to get back from abroad. Please check online with the destination country’s website. Some of the seasonal flights are not going to be flown to this year. If you want to travel abroad this summer, I would hold off until next year. Some countries aren’t even doing temperature checks on inbound passengers. Some are. Please make yourself aware of each country’s rules. It is not the airlines’ responsibility. It may take more layovers than usual to fly places. Please do not take it out on the agents at the airport, we are trying to get you where you need to be as soon as we can get you there.”
So, in the meanwhile, keep making your dream trip lists!
-Gina Michalopulos Kingsley