Virus trips up travellers
The pandemic has left holiday-makers out of pocket, writes Sophie Elsworth
MILLIONS of jetsetters have had their travel plans thrown into disarray and will be left out of pocket for trips they won’t be able to take.
For the first time in history, the Federal Government has ordered Australians to not travel overseas – indefinitely.
For many it has meant cancelling holidays or postponing them, which will ultimately hit their hip pockets.
Airline carriers have drastically slashed flights, including Qantas and Jetstar, which have suspended all international flights from late March until at least the end of May, as well as reducing domestic trips by 60 per cent. Virgin Australia has suspended all international flights from March 30 through to June 14.
Laurie McPherson, 36, is among the many holiday-makers who decided to cancel her upcoming overseas trip before the ban was introduced, and will be left hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
She was due to take an eight-day break in Bali next month but decided to forfeit one flight she had already booked, yet remains hopeful of getting back money she had already paid for accommodation.
“We thought we may as well cancel it now and get as much money back as we could,” Ms McPherson said. “There’s worse things that happen, though.”
She had already paid $1200 for the getaway and had travel insurance, but took out cover after the coronavirus outbreak was known, so will not be covered by her policy.
Comparetravelinsurance.com.au’s director, Natalie Ball, said the first thing any travellers should do is check the Government’s Smart Traveller website for up-to-date information. “You should definitely take heed of government advice,” she said.
As for domestic travel, Ms Ball said it was not yet affected to the same extent as overseas holidays.
For those who held travel insurance and whose plans were disrupted due to coronavirus, she said whether they were covered was “very grey”. “All claims are assessed on an individual basis,” Ms Ball said.
“Some travel insurers will cover you if your plans have been affected by the coronavirus as long as you purchased a policy before it became a
known event,” she said. “This is, for most, before January 31, and depends on who you purchased your policy with as to whether you are covered.”
Ms Ball said many insurers had a pandemic exclusion, which meant travellers would not be covered regardless of when they purchased their cover.
Flight Centre’s spokesman Haydn Long said while many people remained in limbo about upcoming trips, there was an opportunity to snap up some competitive deals later in the year.
“Some suppliers are also looking to provide additional peace of mind by offering travellers greater flexibility if they book now and later choose to postpone their holidays,” he said.
But Mr Long said the demand for domestic travel hadn’t lessened as much.
“As things stand, there’s no obvious reason for people to amend their domestic bookings if they feel comfortable travelling at the time, and it will certainly help the local industry,” he said.
‘We thought we may as well cancel it now and get as much money back as we could’ – Laurie McPherson