MarkHey folks, this is just a quick piece on Covid 19 or Coronavirus. I am not a doctor nor will I give advice on whether someone should travel or not. The following is a quick guide with how to get the correct information regarding changing flights or getting a refund.
First port of call should be the DFA website
The Department of Foreign Affairs, DFA for short, and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (if you are in the North), FCO for short, should be your go to website for daily updates on whether a country is okay to go to for non-essential travel.
These websites are what the airlines, travel agencies (both store and online, like the ones you would book through Skyscanner) and travel insurance companies use to decide whether to cancel flights, allow date changes or allow refunds to be authorised.
What to do if you have flights booked
Check the DFA or FCO website for the security status of the country you are travelling to. At time of writing China, Italy and parts of Spain are currently have their status as ‘Do not travel’. The screenshot below will give you an indication of what to look for. Again, this can change day by day so it is best to check this each day to get an update.
If the country you are travelling to has a status of Do not travel under the security status section, then contact the airline you are travelling or the travel agency that you booked with be it in a shop or online one’s that sell on Skyscanner and they will tell you the rebooking or refund process.
If the country you are looking to travel to is not under the Do not travel status then unfortunately the airline or travel agency are not obligated to give you a refund. It is best to contact them directly regarding possible waive fees from airlines etc.
If you are travelling with Ryanair, there is a link below to their website for full details from requesting a full refund to rebooking your flight if your flight is effected.
If you are travelling with Aer Lingus, there is a link below to the manage my booking where you can check your flight status and change your flight.
In a nutshell
- Check the DFA or FCO website for up to date details on the security status of a country
- If the security status is set to ‘Do not travel’ then contact the airline or travel agency for a refund or rebooking
- if the security status is not set to ‘Do not travel and you want to change/cancel your flights contact the airline or travel agency and see what options you have
- Click the link here for Coronavirus and your consumer rights.
Stay safe, isolate if you or a person in close contact are feeling unwell and wash your hands. Hopefully with these measures we can limit the spread.
Much love,
Mark