Getting Airline & Hotel Fees Waived In Light Of Recent Events?

Related to touristy things in the "locked-down" Brussels: within 30 minutes from Brussels, you can visit Antwerp, Gent, Leuven, ... All nice cities full of beautifull "touristy" things. No need to cancel your visit to Belgium.

I noticed this morning that SPG Paris properties have a cancellation/change waiver in place - it looks like they're open to being flexible (and that Paris hotels have WIDE availability right now for C&P, point stays, etc.)

I'm flying to Johannesburg from Phoenix over Christmas. Currently scheduled to fly PHX-LAX-CDG-JNB, including AF65. I asked Deta about a change in light of recent events, and they wouldn't waive anything since it's still considered a voluntary change.

Yesterday I changed a Delta (on AF) return for the 30th to avoid a change in CDG and the change fee was waived. The fare difference was not. I should have made the change a day sooner as it would have been a bit cheaper with 7 day advane of departure. But I changed to a Delta flight back across the pond so...hello WiFi!!!!

Ben -

While I personally share your posture with respect to travel, i.e., I wouldn't cancel trips myself, I think it's unfair of you to characterize people who decide not to travel as being "less rational."

"Rational" is inherently a relative term, and neither you nor I have sufficient knowledge of either (a) the actual security situation in a given destination or (b) another person's tolerance for risk, to make that sort of judgment.

Their assessment(s) not to travel may be entirely reasonable because perhaps they were planning on traveling to Sana'a or they are the sole caretaker of a child with a severe disability. We don't know.

You and I allocate a relatively high value to travel for the sake of travel. I'm planning a status run to Asia next month, but my wife thinks I'm crazy - in her view the status isn't worth even the most remote possibility of delay or worse in connection with the renewal of my status. I disagree - we're still discussing the matter.

All I'm saying is that it's not necessarily irrational to cancel travel, but like everything else in life, you have to make a risk/benefit analysis of doing it. Your bottom line says that everyone has to make their own decision, but the prevailing theme of this piece is rather condescending towards people who come out differently than you in that analysis. That's not fair to them.

In other words, unless you've walked a mile in someone's shoes...

Greg

Safety first

I asked BA about cancelling my OpenSkies ticket to ORY over xmas and the agent basically told me to piss off.

Flying thru bruselsb mid December and I'm concerned. Wonder if aa will look at rerouting based on that?

This is absolutely ridiculous to change flight when you're just connecting in France.

You guys will be perfectly safe in Paris or anywhere else in France. Let me tell you, that it's not ISIS best interest to attack Paris yet again.

The best way to fight terrorism is with no fear and being MORE open minded. If you come to my city (Toulouse-France). I'll offer you guys chocolates (My business).

Cheers and be safe 😉

Anyone scared of travelling should be more like me - I booked MH to London after 370 because they were cheap, and I did fly on them. The day after MH17...

People have a right to be concerned. There are organized radical entities ("radical Islamic terrorists", if you will - sorry Barack & Hillary) who have issued and are issuing threats towards Western targets, including civilians and civilian targets. Today.

In ostrich, Chamberlain-like fashion, ours and other Western governments have allowed them to flourish and expand with only the occasional bombing run for interruption, rather than extinguish them.

So, you get situations like 9/11, Mali, and the Paris violence as a result.

Yet, we really don't know their plans and we have no idea if flying to Brussels today or tomorrow entails a greater personal risk than attending a sporting event, crowded restaurant, or shopping mall in a local, regional, national, or international destination.

As a result, I plan to go about my business and not meaningfully alter my plans, including those for travel. Everyone needs to make their own personal assessments of risk and risk tolerance.

I cannot control the targets of terrorists. However, in my control is my ability to vote for politicians who can admit and understand what the threat is and who pledge to act to eradicate it in a realistic and effective fashion.

BA won't budge. No changes/cancellations to Brussels unless you cough up the change/cancellation fees. No flexibility at all.

They won't change their policy until something happens. I asked them about being proactive and flexible but NO - go away. Eurostar, flexible and willing to waive fees.