5 reasons why you should consider buying an airline ticket to fly later in the year – and 7 reasons why you shouldn’t
Amid the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, experts are warning that the travel recovery won’t be as quick as the airlines would like, and that it may be a year or more before it returns to normal
What is normally the busiest travel season of the year is likely to be derailed because of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. Millions of would-be travellers have been forced to cancel trips as travel restrictions, border closures and stay-at-home orders restrict freedom of movement. Airline schedules have been derailed as flights have been cancelled and consolidated to salvage any remaining cash flow from an onslaught of passenger-initiated cancellations and refunds in the past two months.
Despite the havoc that the pandemic is wreaking on the travel industry, the desire to travel remains and optimists are already looking to get the best deals for future travel once the crisis has passed. For some destinations, travel for autumn and winter has never been cheaper as airlines attempt to regain the business of travellers they lost during spring. Experts are warning that the recovery won’t be quick as some airlines would like, and while we are moving closer to a post-pandemic world, it may be as far away as a year or longer before travel returns to normal.
Here’s why you should consider buying a ticket – and why not.
Should: cheap flights for autumn and winter are hard to resist, especially to destinations formerly outside the budget
Round trips from New York costing US$200 to Spain, US$250 to Italy, and US$500 to Israel are an indication of flight deals spurred by the novel coronavirus-inflicted pandemic that has some debating on whether to book autumn flights. The deals are enticing, especially with some areas of the country entrenched in months-long quarantine. Many travel experts say the time to buy is now for those looking to travel several months down the line.
Shouldn’t: while that would typically be reason enough to start booking again, we’re not out of the woods yet
Public health officials say that life will not return to normal until a vaccine is produced, which could take 12 to 18 months, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. Until a vaccine or therapy is produced, there’s nothing besides social distancing to stop a second wave once the northern hemisphere moves back towards winter. Autumn is only five months away and vaccines are a long way off.
Should: most major airlines are waiving change fees for new bookings giving customers greater flexibility