Flights now or later?

[adamkat]

So our planning is for our October trip.
we are flying down.
Wondering if we should look to booking flights now or after things settle down?
what do you frequent fliers think?
better savings now or later.
TIA

 

[ottawamom]

I am trying to decide myself what to do about flights for November. Personally I would wait until this is over. If the travel industry doesn't rebound as quickly as we might hope you might find yourself with tickets you are unable to use. True you could save a lot if you book now but is it a saving if you end up not being able to use those tickets or have to pay rebooking or cancellation fees.

As I am just discovering, if you book now and have to modify (even with a "no fee from the airlines") your options can be limited by when you made your original booking. Some airlines (or Airmiles bookings) are giving you 1 year from when you booked for your new arrangements to be completed. In these instances booking later gives you more flexibility.

We could very well find ourselves in a recession after all this is said and done and taking that trip south may not be in your families best interest at this time. Bottom line, don't be in a rush.

 

[gskywalker]

I won't book any flights now. My concern is how many airlines are going to go belly up and I don't trust that TICO will be able to keep up with all the claims. I have insurance through my credit card but even with that, will the insurance company be ok? Will they say that TICO has to pay for it, Expedia, etc.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Ugh. Don't be me.

I've already booked / paid for the following for our December 2020 trip:

Air Canada flights: one way with airline vouchers ($800) and one-way with air miles (2530 miles x 2) + taxes ($141)
5-day Cdn Resident Rate tickets with air miles (4725 miles x 2)
Deposit for Pop Century ($227 US, which I can get back)
And the biggie, over $1800 CDN in WDW gift cards! OUCH!

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Now on the flip side, maybe Disney will be offering amazing deals to Canadians to get people back into the parks. It might even out in the end.

 

[CanadianKrista]

Ugh. Don't be me.

I've already booked / paid for the following for our December 2020 trip:

Air Canada flights: one way with airline vouchers ($800) and one-way with air miles (2530 miles x 2) + taxes ($141)
5-day Cdn Resident Rate tickets with air miles (4725 miles x 2)
Deposit for Pop Century ($227 US, which I can get back)
And the biggie, over $1800 CDN in WDW gift cards! OUCH!

This looks much like what I've spent for our August trip, except there are 4 of us. So 4x flights with airmiles, 4 7day Cdn tickets with airmiles, deposit for CBR, and depost for Hard Rock at universal, and about $1700 in Disney gift cards. Sigh.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

@CanadianKrista if it is safe to travel, we will be going.
Plus, I plan on getting tickets for MVMCP and Epcot’s Candlelight Processional dining pkg!

 

[bababear_50]

adamkat

Wait......................
I have booked for end of Dec/Jan and wish I hadn't...I won't lose as much as everyone else (single solo) but I've lost on my DVC rental this week and possibly another rental for next Oct.
Disney will come back but I'd be cautious right now.

Hugs
Mel

 

[isabellea]

I wouldn't book now. Sunwing just announced they laid off all their employees (pilots and flight attendants). Transat will probably do the same and Air Canada is expected to lay off 25% of theirs (a friend is a pilot for AC). Who knows how many companies will still exist in the fall and the flights will probably be modified many times before then.

 

[gskywalker]

I wouldn't book now. Sunwing just announced they fired all their employees. Transat will probably do the same and Air Canada is expected to fire 25% of theirs (a friend is a pilot for AC). Who knows how many companies will still exist in the fall and the flights will probably be modified many times before then.

I assume you mean temporarily laid off? If Sunwing fired all their employees they wouldn't have a company at all.

 

[Lperd]

We just cancelled our March trip and I looked at fares and hotels for summer and fall. I didn’t see that they were a great deal like some people are saying? Prices in the near term ie. next three months do seem to be quite reduced.

 

[adamkat]

Ugh. Don't be me.

I've already booked / paid for the following for our December 2020 trip:

Air Canada flights: one way with airline vouchers ($800) and one-way with air miles (2530 miles x 2) + taxes ($141)
5-day Cdn Resident Rate tickets with air miles (4725 miles x 2)
Deposit for Pop Century ($227 US, which I can get back)
And the biggie, over $1800 CDN in WDW gift cards! OUCH!
[/QUOTE

This looks much like what I've spent for our August trip, except there are 4 of us. So 4x flights with airmiles, 4 7day Cdn tickets with airmiles, deposit for CBR, and depost for Hard Rock at universal, and about $1700 in Disney gift cards. Sigh.

do you think your August or December trips will be cancelled??

 

[cari12]

Ugh. Don't be me.

I've already booked / paid for the following for our December 2020 trip:

Air Canada flights: one way with airline vouchers ($800) and one-way with air miles (2530 miles x 2) + taxes ($141)
5-day Cdn Resident Rate tickets with air miles (4725 miles x 2)
Deposit for Pop Century ($227 US, which I can get back)
And the biggie, over $1800 CDN in WDW gift cards! OUCH!

I was booked to go March 14. When I called on the 13th to cancel since Disneyland closed, I was told I had to re-book for dates before May 25 (I had booked the flights last May) or lose it all. So I did. So I now have flights for May 15-23, 2020. These dates aren’t great for us and things probably won’t be back to normal that soon. I saw tweets on the weekend of people thanking AM for a full refund. I feel so screwed over by AM as I wasn’t offered the same. Come May I may be out about 12,000 AM and about $600 for flights for 4 of us.

Also the first night of our hotels was anon-refundable AM booking and it has been impossible to get through to AM Travelhub so I used their online tool and cancelled it so I wouldn’t be a “no show”. No refund as it’s non- refundable but the hotel chain is waiving that so I should be entitled to the refund.I finally got through to them today and they’ll put a claim in but I may be out of luck because I cancelled it with their online cancellation! That’s another about 2500 AM.

Then there’s the 16,000 AM I spent on park tickets that are only good until Jan 2021. These I’m not as concerned about as Disney will probably accommodate in some way if we don’t get there before that date.
This has been a very stressful ordeal on top of the fact that we had to cancel our trip 2 days before we were to travel.
Hoping it all works out in the end.

 

[isabellea]

I assume you mean temporarily laid off? If Sunwing fired all their employees they wouldn't have a company at all.

Yes laid off. Sorry I read the story in French so I might not have used the right word. But I wouldn't be surprised if some/many travel companies go bankrupt in the next few months.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I think Disney would extend your tickets, but I thought I had read that you lose the ability to make ANY fastpasses since it has to be done at Guest Services.

 

[ottawamom]

@cari12 thanks for sharing your experience. I won't cancel my flights online and will wait until I can get a live person before I do anything. I'm hoping things will ease up a bit after March and I will be allowed to get through.

Re your Disney tickets. You may not be able to use your current tickets past Jan 2021 but the value that AM paid for those tickets will still be attached to them and Disney will honour that towards another ticket purchase and what ilovetotravel said above.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

As I am just discovering, if you book now and have to modify (even with a "no fee from the airlines") your options can be limited by when you made your original booking. Some airlines (or Airmiles bookings) are giving you 1 year from when you booked for your new arrangements to be completed. In these instances booking later gives you more flexibility.

Well, that wouldn't work for me. I booked in January 2020 for December 2020. Not much difference in timing there!

 

[cari12]

I think Disney would extend your tickets, but I thought I had read that you lose the ability to make ANY fastpasses since it has to be done at Guest Services.

No worries, at Disneyland you don’t book FastPasses ahead of time, only when you’re in the parks.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

No worries, at Disneyland you don’t book FastPasses ahead of time, only when you’re in the parks.

Lucky.

 

[ottawamom]

Well, that wouldn't work for me. I booked in January 2020 for December 2020. Not much difference in timing there!

With the exception of my April trip I am like you @ilovetotravel1977,. when I book our big family trip it's a soon as the seats become available. Might have to give that some more thought next time.