TRAVEL over?

KEEPING TRACK OF COVID-19 CHANGES

Because of the turmoil in the airline industry brought about by COVID-19 regulations around the world, you need to rebook your international travel with Air New Zealand for later in the year. What is the best way to go about this?

As the situation is still changing by the day, you are better to keep an eye on updates on several websites. The most up-to-date travel restrictions can be found on the Air

New Zealand Travel Alerts page − airnewzealand.co.nz/ travel-alerts. According to

Air New Zealand this includes flexibility and refund options for affected international bookings in the weeks ahead.

You might also benefit from reading through the FAQs on the airline’s website.

Then, of course, there’s the Ministry of Health website − health.govt.nz/our-work/ diseases-and-conditions/ covid-19-novel-coronavirus. Information on travel can also be found at safetravel.govt.nz. As I write this, Air New Zealand has asked that you only call them if you have an urgent query. They are currently undertaking a review of all its schedules, so if you already have a booking with them, they will notify you of any changes that affect you. If you made your booking through a travel agent, you should rebook your travel through them.

Do you need to take out fresh travel insurance when you rebook your flights? You ask because, obviously, you’re concerned what may happen if you get COVID-19 in a foreign country. I can understand why you would want to cover yourself just in case, but it’s unlikely you’d be covered for COVID-19. Once a major pandemic becomes common knowledge it tends to be excluded from travel insurance policies. This is because you should already be aware of the risk you are taking. Not only would you not be covered for any illness you contract, but it’s unlikely you’d get any help if any of your flights were cancelled, either directly or indirectly, due to the virus. To that extent, I would be very cautious about planning any non-essential travel, especially holidaying for the foreseeable future. Of course, I’m not saying you shouldn’t take out any travel insurance if you are off overseas: You should. I’m simply saying it probably won’t help you if any losses are related to COVID-19.