Travel Expert: Fall Vacations Possible, Be Flexible
UNDATED -- Will traveling for vacation be possible this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic? That's the question some people have, especially for families that like to get away during the MEA break in October.
Kyle Potter is the editor for the website ThriftyTravler.com. He says travel will be possible but a lot has changed, especially because airlines have cut the number of flights dramatically.
No matter where you're looking to go, where you might have had a handful of different flight options every day, not that's usually down to just one or two flights a day no matter where you're looking to go. And, in some cases, you might need to make a connection where you used to have a non-stop flight option.
Potter says, if you do book a flight now, odds are it's going to change before you leave so you need to be flexible. And, he reminds you once you're on the plane masks are mandatory on all flights.
Potter says it doesn't hurt to make plans in advance because airlines have said they'll let passengers change flights without paying a big fee, or cancel it and give them a voucher for the value of the ticket, so there isn't a whole lot of risk involved in planning ahead.
If you do book a flight far in advance, odds are it's going to change between now and when you get on the plane. So, it may make sense to be a little bit more nimble. Definitely expect that the ticket you book may not be the flight that you actually take.
On Sunday U.S. air travel topped 800,000, the highest number of people going through airport checkpoints since March 17th. But, that's still down 69 percent from a year ago.
Potter says the federal CARES Act is helping airlines cover payroll expenses through the end of September.