I want to give a shoutout to Ireland. It is not in the Schengen Area and is open for business. I just left March 12 and had a blast.
26
It’s sad to read the numerous attacks on this writing either against the writer for either being too ‘privileged’ or for being an alarmist for not waiting, or for anyone believing anything Trump says.
We had same experience and thankfully just returned at 3am.
We aren’t rich or among the privileged-just normal Americans who saved for a long anticipated trip to Paris.
Trump did not cause this and it is no more racist than the Spanish swine flu.
Trump was first criticized for not acting fast enough ...yet when he does work to protect our citizens it is too fast and disruptive. When, pray tell is it convenient to restrict our travel? Limit large gatherings to reduce the spread? Never.
Please use common sense when critiquing-our shared enemy is the virus, not each other and not our President
48
To be fair, this is not the first travel ban due to coronavirus. The China travel ban clearly specified that US citizens and permanent residents would not be banned from entering the US. This info was allover the media and so my first question about this latest ban was what did it mean for US citizens or residents abroad. At the very least I would wait for clarification. Or I would contact the DoS including any consulate anywhere in Europe. And I'm not a journalist. That's just common sense.
27
Good that you had the money to spend $5,000 for two tickets, not so bad for immediate one way purchases. The black market had not really hit yet, like the guy who paid $20,000. He may have been a CPO, probably was, so he could well afford to lose it. That is the risk of the market. And it is only fair that if he had the privilege to take off by paying $20,000, he should be able to lose it too. Hope someone else was able to buy his old ticket at a fair price.
8
First lesson here is to get Travel Insurance that covers everything. Make sure it will cover things like acts of war, or natural disasters and things like this covid-19 virus and get you back home safe. And it will cost you a lot, but in situations like this, it is worth it. Secondly, get a group of people together and hire a private jet. That will cost you about $15,000.00 an hour. A flight from CDG to say Atlanta is 8 hours, or $120,000.00 These planes can carry vewry comfortably 18 people and luggage. That is $6700.00 a person. That is a little bit more than a regular business class ticket, but much less than an $11,000.00 First Class ticket. And let me tell you the best part about it is you get to go through private Customs and CBP screening and admission. Takes about 10 minutes. Ever landed at JFK and 3 A380's have landed just before you? I would much prefer to land at Teterboro.
17
May I suggest sending a bill to Donald J. Trump or Ivanka Trump or Jared Kushner, Don Jr. or Eric. Hopefully the jails they are in will deliver the bill or re-direct it to their lawyers.
94
Donald Trump's consistent "miscommunications" cause chaos and anxiety on many levels. This is just one more example of why this man is not fit to be president.
121
My mother and stepfather made their first-ever trip to China, where I work as a teacher, back in January. We had an eight-city itinerary booked during the Spring Festival break, but while we were in Beijing (our second stop), things got bad.
They were supposed to fly back home from Shanghai in mid-February, but didn't want to take any chances with the virus numbers growing exponentially by the day. After hearing that the mortality rate was highest among seniors, they understandably wanted to go home.
Even though they had a flight home booked, United would not let them change the reservation, even under the circumstances. They could, however, buy a pair of $2,800 one-way tickets from Beijing. Between the two of them, they easily beat this writer's $5,000 tab.
(Of course, just a couple of days later, United wound up cancelling their original flight home.)
I have to say, the whole thing just reeks of price-gouging. Given the situation, United really should have let a pair of retired senior citizens do a simple seat exchange instead of making them pay such an exorbitant amount to escape the virus.
I understand that, in Trump's America, "good corporate citizen" is an oxymoron, but United really should have tried to be one in a case like this.
134
Oh, the problems of the affluent...
19
That's what happens when one listens to the words of Trump. Send him the bill.
47
Covid 45. No vaccine and still rampant in the US.
Tests available in November.
77
Ticket gouging should be punishable by public beatings, investment bankers who create these financial scenarios we find ourselves in every few years, should be publicly beheaded. Off course that is fantasy, we are a vulture capitalists take all society backed by complicit politicians who somehow seem to end up very wealthy with no discernible marketable skills other than a Rolodex. We might take a moment too understand one day that we would have no economy with the booms and subsequent busts our system has become so dependent on perceived wealth where none exists as to be a hall of mirrors, at times like this when you realize how poorly your credit card/ airline/ financial system really does work you realize indeed the American emperors have no clothes.
27
Twitter is not exactly the be all and end all for news. Research and research some more. And always remember that Trump changes his mind like most of us change our underwear (perhaps even more frequently).. Welcome back to the USA.
15
@Yael Fair enough - yet our President has made Twitter his preferred means of (mis)communication to the world (since there is no longer any such thing as the Daily Press Briefing). Perhaps we are used to presidents who, when they share an update, it is vetted/researched and they are prepared and understand. But this guy doesn't read, doesn't prepare and hasn't a clue. Have a nice day.
52
Did Trump imagine only Europeans caught the Con-vid 19 beastie? On those planes home is it possible there are Americans carrying the virus?
41
Without even getting into the idiocy of panic buying of anything without taking a day or day to breathe and think... I will note that Trump gave a big, albeit one-time, gift to the airlines.
33
Even worse than the financial cost, Trump’s stupidity resulted in thousands of people gathering in closed spaces, like airline ticket counters when safety dictates maintain separation.
97
So this man belongs to your "investigation unit"? Well... :-) Had he really investigated (yes, I know it was the middle of the night, but still he was able to show an amazing lot of activity...) he could have sat in a nearly empty plane this Saturday, having three seats (or six, or ten) all to himself and spending those five thousand dollars on champagne...
12
Are you assuming that airlines would still fly empty planes?
16
@Peter we had the exact same experience as this writer.
We were in Paris, expected to leave Saturday, got the 2:15am call from daughter, bought tix for backup plan (tho son found $1200 a piece versus $4-5k we first encountered). Same dilemma whether to risk waiting hours to change existing fix and possibly miss backup flight. After 2 1/2 hr wait we went for backup.
So thankful we did as our Saturday flight was cancelled with no re-schedule in sight. Per numerous airline staff and business travelers there are no guarantees for easy or even quick return home.
The possibility of easy transmission of this virus in these large crowds at airports and tourist sites is no doubt high. Glad to be home for self-quarantine versus the unknown
29
@J they are and in many cases need to to be able to keep the planes certified.
3
Explain to me again why we should feel sorry for the airlines? Taking advantage of people is the current situation with these kinds of ticket prices is disgusting. Trump causing such confusion is also disturbing, but no unexpected. It's mass chaos.
51
I cannot understand how someone who writes for the NY Times and won a Pulitzer could possibly have thought ALL travel from Europe, including for Americans, would end in 48 hours. Just look at how travel from China was handled -- I would assume that would be the model and wonder why Mr. McIntire didn't too.
30
@ellienyc The writer thought ALL travel from Europe would be banned because that is exactly what the President said, and the media reported his exact words. It took me over 30 minutes of searching before I found the text of the Presidential Proclamation that showed that POTUS didn't even know what was in his own proclamation.
82
@ellienyc Because the president told him otherwise.
24
It seems like the author just jumped to conclusions and created a lot of his own drama. If he did some investigative Google searches he could see none of the travel bans generally applied to a country’s own citizens. But I get it, drama is fun.
22
Blame Kushner and Miller too.
27
If it were me, I would have stayed in Paris; better healthcare, better food... better everything.
70
That is simply ridiculous. I had to change multiple plans because of travel bans and the virus. My total increased cost was $85 for a wonderful, severely discounted hotel in Yangon, Myanmar when my flight to India was blocked. I was in Japan Feb 8 which was after the Feb 1 ban. This is the time to use frequent flier points. Having a stash lets you pivot with minimal damage. That is utterly ridiculous. I had to change multiple plans because of travel bans and the virus. My total increased cost was $85 for a beautiful, severely discounted hotel in Yangon, Myanmar, when my flight to India was blocked. I was in Japan on Feb 8, which was after the Feb 1 ban. Now is the time to use frequent flier points. Having a stash lets you pivot with minimal damage.
I recently had my first international trip. I traveled to Florence, Italy and arrived on Friday, February 21, the same day that Italy announced the presence of Covi19 in the area surrounding Milan. I flew O’Hare to Munich to Florence. Passengers had temperatures checked at the Florence airport arrival gate.
That same evening I read online about the recent spread of the virus to Italy. I was alarmed, I am a kidney transplant recipient and have been taking immune suppression drugs for over 30 years. I had discussed my travel plans with my healthcare providers and Italy was considered very safe. I continued to monitor the news updates and decided to not delay leaving. I was concerned I might be quarantined without my speciality medication or a worse situation, become ill if exposed. It was a Sunday and I knew my travel groups office wouldn’t open for another 12 hours. I tried to change my departure date through the airlines but no luck as I would need to go through the tour group office.
I bought a ticket for $2400, and decided that was a small price for my health. No regrets. I have travel insurance and will try to get compensation but I’m not sure my strange circumstances are covered.
Florence, Italy was an amazing place and I hope the country recovers quickly and I hope and pray that our country does the same.
52
What a mess. I felt lucky to get through Charles de Gaulle two weeks ago without contracting something, and self quarantined to be sure. I would not want to go back into that airport today. My sympathy goes out to the author.
If only he had the option to stay put until this thing blows over. I cannot help but think that in the scramble to get home one might very well be exposed to the virus.
13
Wait-he's an investigative reporter- and cause his daughter says she heard something he immediately attempts to buy a ticket home. He doesn't call a colleague at the paper to corroborate the story? Or like someone else said, take a train to the U.K. and then fly home? 2 a.m. phone calls often bring bad news, but 2 a.m. decisions based on sketchy information often lead to bone-headed fiascos like this one.
44
@jb At the time, that was the story. It wasn't clarified by the WH until later.
36
The President's "speech" was written hastily by Jared Kushner and Stephen Miller during the day. The result was a chaotic, insulting and destabilizing disaster. That's what happens when completely incompetent people are put in charge. Mr McIntire, aside from the uncertainty and angst would probably have been better off in Paris, in a country with national healthcare and working in conjunction with the rest of the planet in a coordinated effort to fight this illness. Instead, returning to the US which is completely unprepared, where they will face medical expenses and empty shelves at stores from panic buying due to the lack of a public health strategy.
78
My parents are here with me in Germany. We shrugged with the announcement and said well, guess you are staying longer! Last week my stepfather (83) came down with a bad lung infection. We wrote a text message to our local town doctor at 10:30pm and he wrote back 20 minutes later that he would come the next morning (Sunday) between 9 and 10 in the morning. My stepfather started that day on antibiotics and is already much better. We probably will pay, including all the medicine (including codeine, expectorant, antibiotics) and an emergency home visit, around 120 euros. That’s because he isn’t insured here and so we pay out of pocket. If it were us the cost would be around 0-10 euros.
Now, if he were back in the US, he would be waiting around for hours in an emergency room, picking up who knows what.
Here in Germany if people have flu like symptoms they are automatically checked for all influenza strains and COVID-19. One reason the case numbers are high is that people are getting tested. 6 people have “only” died vs in the US with less “officially counted” cases and 5 times the number of deaths.
Health care is a basic human right and I hope Americans finally stop whining about socialized medicine (does a 6 year old have a right to go to school for free? Yes. Same thing) and see that when people can go to the doctor without worrying and get the care they need it helps protect the entire country (and keep costs/illnesses/deaths down later), especially in times like these.
187
Thank you for this. My daughter is spending a high school year in Germany. I made the mistake of watching Trump’s speech rather than waiting for the colander of clarity to filter the truth. In those 2 hours, with much discussion, we decided she is safer in Germany for now, where the leader is honest and intelligent, and where there is an integrated public health system.
132
@An American In Germany Public school is not free. Part of homeowner's property taxes are for the school system in the United States.
7
@Adele Ok, Adele, not "free". However, k-12 education, fire protection, police, and roads are all brought to us through a realistic socialistic system. The cost is a shared social responsibility.
53
Sadly we panicked and had some of the same experience-$10,200 for flights to Salt Lake City due to the lack of reliable information from Trump and his cohorts.
Then the rest of the story came through and I was able to cancel the “gold plated” tickets and reschedule our original tickets.
30
They lacked imagination. A flight to some other country like Mexico could have been purchased. Then they could have shown up at the border, presented their passport card which unlike a passport, doesn’t have information about where you have been, and immediately gotten back into the US.
21
What a mess. Thanks Trump. If ever the importance of language and delivery of a speech were important, then it would be now. He can't even get that right.
58
Welcome home. Please remember to vote, and at the booth please remember how this night(mare) experience felt. Thank you.
79
The comments here are surprisingly vitriolic. And so American. Mr. McIntire recounted his brush with desperation and gave those of us reading from the comfort of home a glimpse of what it is like for people travelling during uncertain times. In my opinion, it adds another brushstroke to our picture of the chaos around the virus. The outrage seems to come from the fact that he (gasp) traveled for (another gasp) pleasure at a time when many nations, including the U.S., had been withholding information (a final gasp) about the scope of the problem. Good grief. Cut the guy some slack.
40
Actually, I’m in France now, flying back later this week. This type of reaction is like stocking bottled water, a grasp at control in an out-of-control situation. It’s only money, but it bought him some peace of mind, being able to hunker down n his own environment. This has been difficult on my nerves; what a waste, being in France with no appetite to eat or drink.
15
Wouldn’t that fall under “usary” in this type of event? The airlines charging 2-3x the normal cost of a ticket? They are talking about people being charged for selling masks and items in demand for triple the price. Seems that is a big ticket item that should be addressed.
20
No, it’s a day-of walk-up ticket. That’s the usual price.
8
@Kay Well, that journalist was booking a flight the very same day, wasn't he? So even in the best of times five thousand dollars for two people on a transatlantic flight booking that day wouldn't seem outrageous to me, but actually fairly normal...
10
My 20-year old nephew and his three friends are also visiting Paris until Saturday. They also went to the airport 3:30am, but « luckily » didn’t find any flights.
On the flip-side, over dinner Wednesday night, he told me that recently he had a health issues and had to go to the emergency room in Vermont, where his college is. Four-hours later he left with no diagnosis, a small bottle of aspirin and a bill for...3000$!
So for your 5000€ at least you had croissants!
32
@RW the 4 hours/$3k sounds a lot like creative drama.
6
I'm really puzzled by why these travelers are supported here. I sure don't and as a taxpayer, they should not get a penny from me. They were at high risk of being quarantined in France. On the other hand, the same thing could happen in the United States or anywhere in the world other than Antarctica. You could argue the healthcare as a cash payer is better in France than with ACA policies in the US. It's probably easier to get a test in France. It was their choice to buy tickets at the last minute. They had plenty of notice to reposition anywhere in the world so the US taxpayer should not bail them in any way. How about taking some personal responsibility and living by your bad choices to remain in France during an emergency while wanting to be in the US.
8
@FrankM Would like to know what you would feel if this happened to you. With the prospect of being stuck in a foreign country indefinitely. And having to pay for it. At what point does it become "high risk of being quarantined in France" or anywhere else for that matter, with decisions being made day by day. I was in France for a month and a half recently but left and came back before any quarantines being mentioned. But I could easily have been there 2 months and thus be stuck with that quarantine -- Have some common sense and better yet some empathy and compassion.
39
@FrankM Same day ticket purchases are nearly always this way.
5
I think it would be a real boon to everyone to reveal the name of the airline that raised these fares. The airlines all complain about how tough their lives are and they get enormous subsidies from the taxpayer but think nothing of trying to gouge the customer.
If Trump were really in the corner of the little guy he would order every airline flying between the US and Europe to move enough of their fleets to Europe to return stranded citizens by Friday and to accept their return tickets as full payment.
Maybe it's time that we nationalized the airlines, food companies and other necessary services and forced them to live on a strict diet that left very little for either management of shareholders.
15
@William: I'm guessing, although I don't know, that those tickets were bought from scalpers not the airline.
1
@William Well, that journalist was booking a flight the very same day, wasn't he? So even in the best of times five thousand dollars for two people on a transatlantic flight booking that day wouldn't seem outrageous to me, but actually fairly normal...
9
@William Well, that journalist was booking a flight the very same day, wasn't he? So even in the best of times five thousand dollars for two people on a transatlantic flight booking that day wouldn't seem outrageous to me, but actually fairly normal...
4
People. The airlines are not price gauging. Last minute flights always cost a ton more than when you buy the tickets months in advance. This happens all the time. My husband broke his leg in New Zeeland and we had to fly home early for surgery in order to avoid having surgery in NZ and spending a month after the surgery for him to recover in NZ, since the surgery was such that he wouldn’t be allowed out of bed for 4 weeks after. The last minute one way airfare was $10,000 for the two of us, business class. We needed business class because the brace for his leg would not allow him to bend his knee. This was not price gauging, nor was it taking advantage of our personal crisis, it’s just how airfare works. Last minute flights are expensive, no matter when you take them or what is happening. Airfare in general is expensive. It just seems affordable because most people plan months ahead or take advantage of special promotional deals when they have the time to plan their trips. What you see at the last minute is actually the true cost of a particular flight, which most people avoid paying.
Fwiw, our travel insurance paid the $10,000 since it covered an accident suffered during the covered trip. Travel insurance - don’t leave home without it (it’s worth every penny).
27
@Neil Sorry, but charging "a ton more" for last minute tickets is the DEFINITION of price gouging. And the reality that airlines do this habitually only says that they've been able to get away with gouging their customers for a long time. What you see at the last minute is far from the "true cost" of the seat on the fight. Of course the airlines don’t call it price gouging. They call it pricing to demand. Deregulation of airline pricing in 1978 opened the door to this game. The fact that often same day fares are less because the airline wants to fill otherwise empty seats shows the fallacy of the "true cost" argument.
19
To Anyone trying to book a flight back to the U.S :
Try booking a round trip ticket. A friend who travels to Europe regularly told me that she buys round trip tickets when she is flying one way, as it's cheaper to buy a round trip ticket.
I don't know if this applies to buying a ticket at the last minute,
but it wouldn't take more than a few moments to find out.
12
this corona virus has been raging in Europe for weeks. it's stupid and irresponsible to travel overseas at this time. all Americans coming back from Europe should be quarantined.
64
@kerri There were three cases in Spain when I went there on Feb. 24, with tickets purchased in December, 2019. There were 228 on March 4 when I left. There are now over 3000. That is how fast the cases increase.
21
@kerri This corona virus has been raging in the United States for weeks. You might be safer in Europe. You would be safer in China, which has gotten control over the outbreak.
The size of the US outbreak is unknown, as we have done about 8,000 tests, mostly in the past week. Italy is doing 40,000 tests per day.
23
@kerri you don’t know how long they had been there or why. For all we know they could ha e been living there for weeks or months or years.
Further Europeans aren’t a threat to Americans. We and our lack of testing are a threat to them. I get Americans think they are the best thing since the wheel but it is not so. Especially not now.
23
And how many of these ppl stuck having to pay $5000 or more voted for this idiot? This is apparently what our country wanted in a leader and we surely got it. And what about the ppl who couldn't afford to get a plane ticket back for that insane amount of money? If he were to truely ban ppl would they never be allowed back into their own country? And other ppl will be in insane debt now becuz of the incompetence of this idiot in office.
69
Planes are still flying. I’m going home on aThursday. Time to take a deep breath.
3
They should sue the impeached Liar for the false information that made them buy tickets costing 5000$.
57
Good God. Just take the Eurostar (train) to London and fly out of Heathrow. The idiotic ban on flights from Europe is toothless.
99
@Flaminia It's not a ban on flights. It's a ban on the entry of people who have been in any Schengen country at any point in the past 14 days, but for the specified exceptions. Arriving from London will not help someone whose entry is barred.
4
@Flaminia right but it’s clear they were not given accurate info so it’s likely they weren’t aware the UK wasn’t included. And I’m sure Eurostar tickets when up too.
8
Train travel is being curtailed and cancelled all over Europe. It’s unrealistic to think that people from all over the continent would be able to make it to Paris to get on the Eurostar.
8
The author of this piece is a reporter for the NYT.
1. Why didn't NYT pay for your flight?
2. If this was a week-long vacation, why did you choose to go in the first place?
3. I hope you and your partner have self-quarantined now that you're back in the US.
4. Thanks the illustration of how even apparently seasoned travelers can be foolish beyond belief.
80
@Andrew #1 doesn't make any sense when the journalist is on personal travel and the paper isn't responsible for the cost of his travel. Many people took a chance/risk because the communications about the risks have been so mixed from our government. A week ago, the news was no where near as grim. Hindsight is 20/20. I agree with you on all points but as a person with a Masters Degree in Public Health working in the healthcare industry, I have fielded more questions than I ever thought I would receive and it is only because of my knowledge that my friends and family are properly prepared. Airlines and hotels were not refunding for trips a week ago. Don't be so judgmental when the communication has been so poor from the White House because he fired everyone who had the expertise to manage this mess and cut all the funding when he took office.
30
@Anonymouse whether you think our gov't was not expedient enough...the virus has been raging in Italy for quite a long time.
5
The ticket pricing was probably not "gouging" in response to the upcoming travel ban, but just the way airlines have treated last minute business travelers for years. Their models demonstrate that there are usually a few people whose need to travel arises without notice and will pay a lot to get where they need to go, so the airlines keep some seats available and price them accordingly.
24
@Joel
But Businss as Usual is not exactly what's happening now. So the airlines really are profiting from a disaster.
3
My heart goes out to all the people who are facing Trump-generated chaos in the midst of a pandemic.
Well, almost all the people.
For those who voted for Trump, who still support Trump, or think Trump's account of the "great job" he's doing with the pandemic is true, well ... not quite as much sympathy.
84
I'm always ready for a travel adventure. Stuck in Paris? Sounds great to me.
33
@David Wood Sounds good on the surface, but I'm canceling a trip to Amsterdam because I don't want to risk being quarantined.
If you can't leave your hotel or do anything, there's little difference between the Intercontinental on the Amstel and a Best Western on I-25 in El Paso. ; )
17
@David Wood Honestly, for me, it is a dream come true to have an excuse to stay. But not everyone is so lucky to have the funds or temperament to enjoy an extended vacation where they might very well end up in quarantine!
5
I’m “stuck” and it’s actually a bit nerve-wracking. Unless you have your own home here, you have to be camping out in a hotel or short-term rental. Keep your idealized version in mind; hopefully, it will exist again in a few months (or years).
8
This is the exactly the type of last-minute, lack of details messaging the current White House administration had been pumping out. Without sufficient details being disclosed by the President (e.g., what is defined as "Europe"? Are flights being cancelled?), it is irresponsible and caused unnecessary panics among ordinary folks, while the administration officials scrambled to correct and update the actual policy with details. Worst of all, the final definition of Europe is a political construct, not based on any geographical alignment, which makes absolutely no sense since the disease does not discriminate based on treaties.
33
After reading the author's account and some of the comments here about price gouging, here is an alternative view: the writer was in Paris and wanted to get back. He could have waited until Saturday and risked not being able to return. But he was able to fly home literally on a moment's notice, and do so when every other American abroad was likely (and seemingly) trying to do the same. And it only cost him about $5,000 to travel from France to the U.S. in the middle of a global pandemic. Sometimes you can't put a price on convenience.
At least he was able to afford it. Someone traveling on a shoestring, such as a student or a young backpacker, would not have that luxury.
47
It’s not a matter of spending $5,000 to avoid contracting the virus. It’s coming. We’re getting it.
The relevant decision is about whether to recover from it over there vs. recovering from it here. As much guff as the American health care system has taken during this presidential election cycle, the irony is that Americans still have more faith in the end result of this system than in others’.
9
@Rich r Well, this couples Health Insurance may not cover them overseas. So your only option is to return to a country where at least you have Health Insurance coverage.
On the other hand, I have received excellent medical care in France (skied there in January) , and the USA may have many, many more COVID-19 infections than France. We just haven't started testing people yet.
7
@Rich r That's just "home court" bias, not based on objective comparison of the French and American health care systems. I understand, though, that more than just home court bias, one favors the system he/she knows.
However, as one living outside the US much of the time, I can attest to the non-US health systems delivering equal or superior outcomes. Yet the draw to just "get home" dominates such situations.
3
Not exactly. We want to hole up in our own homes. We don’t imagine ourselves in need of hospitalization due to denial, but we do want to be in the comfort of our own homes. I’m in France now and know the system here is excellent, clearheaded, and ready. The medical staff is overworked already, but leadership is good. Nonetheless, I have a flight home this week.
10
As the corona virus worsened I decided it ws best to cancel a one week trip my husband and I were taking to northern Florida so I could take a photography workshop. Since we are in the danger demographic, being 80 and 91, it seemed the sensible thing to do. But even with two weeks notice and first class plane tickets, Delta charged us $348.98 cancellation charge per ticket, a 44% charge fee on a $794.80 ticket. So don't feel sorry for the airlines. With this kind of gouging and not having to actually take any passengers, they will probably more than break even!
88
@Susan in NH
"But even with two weeks notice and first class plane tickets, Delta charged us $348.98 cancellation charge per ticket, a 44% charge fee on a $794.80 ticket."
Why would your having had first class plane tickets mattered ?
Why would you pay $794.80 for ticket from NH to Florida ? ?!
If you'd booked coach , the cancellation fee would have been a fraction of the costs.
1
I asked to waive fees on a basic economy ticket which Delta did readily. Via their messaging app. I suggest you contact them and request a fee waiver.
4
@Susan in NH And don't forget the bailout they'll get if they do find themselves in economic trouble. No, I'm not weeping for them. My only concern there is for everyday people who have retirement money invested in airline stocks.
4
I just returned from Europe today, flying through both the Brussels and Munich airports. Smooth, on time. No issues. And the flight into the US had seats available.
16
@Ami
Post ban, after midnight Friday, even if Americans are allowed back, expect fights to be canceled and difficult to find for lack of demand. There may be no room at US airports to park all those empty planes and flying back empty for a flight originating in Europe may be too costly to airline. Even if I had a return ticket for this weekend and beyond, I would be worried.
Actually, my flight back on Thursday is full. Flights are happening. Where are you getting these ideas of empty planes?
2
Even if you're legally allowed to return as an American, how much passenger traffic between the US and Europe do you expect to remain with this kind of ban in place? Once most of Americans currently abroad return home (and if this article is any indication that will be soon) airlines will cancel remaining flights since they can't afford to fly empty planes. The stragglers will be stuck trying to find complicated and roundabout ways of trying to get home.
I had a flight to France this afternoon. I canceled it this morning.
12
@BP Not really. Someone in Paris just needs to fly to Casablanca and catch a flight to DC, NYC or Montreal... But I understand why people are nervous...
As someone posted 1st world problems. My European holiday (or semester abroad) was a few thousand more than anticpated. WOW IS ME!
10
THIS behavior tells me how insecure people are. The writer could have just gone on to the card website and called it an unintended use. The card company would have canceled. THIS is also how the rich get richer -- Money is made when there is blood in the street. What is the WORST that could happen? A few days late.
THIS is also why I DO NOT RESPOND to panicky emails until about 10 hours later; EXCEPT -- in a very few personal situations. CHILL.
9
@Tamza
I think what you are suggesting might be considered fraud. Apparently this is a huge issue at the moment on eBay: people buying very expensive items, then claiming an unauthorized charge but keeping the item anyway.
5
@Tamza What an attitude you have, along with an inability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. His concerns were valid, and he was disconnected after waiting 2 hours to cancel the charge thru the credit card issuer. Time was of the essence, and he did the best he could under the circumstances.
5
He was on hold with the card company for two hoursbefore it disconnected l
4
@Richard Bell. Thanks. Berzelius Windrip would love Donald Trump. I’m afraid Donald is just getting started.
3
It was really nice and sunny here this morning, and I was thinking it's a good time for a very big asteroid to hit us, as long as it hit in the right place.
8
We are US expats living in Shanghai. We were in India on Chinese New Year holiday the day China closed off Wuhan. Then we got stranded in India as Air India canceled our return flights with no prediction as to WHEN we would be rescheduled. So we quickly hopped online and bought tickets to the US thinking we could then go from there back to China. We ended up stuck in the US for a month. We kept trying to reschedule the return but the flights kept getting canceled. We were fortunate that Delta did not charge us any extra fees. In fact, they’ve been quite helpful. I remember when I spoke with a family member about our wish to return to China, she totally freaked out on me saying if we go back to China, we’ll never be able to get back to the US. I read the details. We’re not foreign nationals. We’re US citizens. The writer and his wife are also US citizens. They didn’t need to curtail their trip. And so, we flew back to Shanghai a few weeks ago. Glad we did because the situation here is more contained than in the States. It’s not about misinformation so much as taking the time to clarify the details before reacting.
27
@QC the writer worked on the information he was given by The Stable Genius. That it was completely the wrong information is the entire point. If you can’t trust The Stable Genius to tell citizens exactly what the score is, you can’t blame people for panicking. There was so much misinformation in his ‘speech’ that many will have been in the same boat.
Airlines are renowned for profiteering in the face of a potential loss of revenue. Shame on them for treating passengers this way. I hope, when this carnage is over, people remember the treatment they got from their chosen airline and vote with their wallets.
5
@Lizzie First it's easier to take someone more seriously when they're not throwing out sophmoric insults.
As an investigative journalist you'd think that maybe they'd have clarified the info they got from their daughter, not the president, before panicking.
Go t the airport today, next week, month, next year. If you buy the ticket that day I guarantee it will be substantially more expensive.
1
Good to be a recluse.
21
Profiting from a pandemic. Nice.
And Congress is thinking of bailing these guys out? With MY money?
15
Not Congress, though a few Rep Senators might sush this on the hallways.
Trump, my friend. Trump wants to give free money to airlines and especially cruises but nothing for the workers! Not even two weeks of sick pay!
2
I think being stuck wouldn't be so bad, do you really want to get on a germ filled plane right now? Besides, Paris has better food and if needed, better healthcare ... more affordable healthcare. For $5000 you could have a nice month in the South of France, where there are very few if any cases. I think you played the wrong card, bud.
46
@Jt
Except, like Italy, everything in France may be shut down sooner than latter, including restaurants and hotels. No hotel is going to stay open ninety percent empty. Movement on the street may also be severely restricted. The wrong card played was traveling to Europe, or anywhere really, South America, the Caribbean, at a time like this.
7
@Jt
I agree having done a few bike trips around Southern France; Provence!
1
Im on Kayak and see tickets for $349 from Barcelona to JFK?
6
And the information this rush was based upon was wrong. Travel to the United States from Europe by American citizens was not prohibited. The Prez just....oops....misspoke. A minor detail? These American citizens would surely disagree. The only thing we have to fear is unfactual information.
15
Home, sweet home. I have travelled to many places in the world in my life, including Europe; but - I haven't been out of my home country for over 25 years, and frankly, don't miss it. If you are happy and near nature in your own home, no need to go elsewhere. The world is much the same wherever you go. Just stay home - international travel is often over-rated, and as we see, the inherent risks of all kinds are always present.
27
@Stephen Bowyer One size doesn't fit all. Having lived overseas, I strongly disagree that the world is much the same wherever you go. The Andes of South America are nothing like Ontario, and both are immensely different from the grand cities of Europe.
23
@Stephen Bowyer How would you know International travel is overrated when you haven't travelled in 25 years.
45
@Stephen Bowyer I'm in the process of making final preparations to stay home during this mess. While I usually hate being cooped up in the house for even a few days, I'm very thankful to have a nice home as a shelter for however long it takes to get through this. I'm seeing the glass as half full.
4
My daughter was moving from London back to US in August 2006. She was at Heathrow Airport, with all her belongings, when terrorist plot was discovered and all flights were grounded. It took a few days, but British Air got her on a plane home and did not charge a penny extra. I guess those were the good old days.
36
@Alice And BA would likely do the same thing today after a flight is grounded for reasons not in the passenger's control. In the case of the author of this article, HE decided he didn't want to wait to take his scheduled flight Saturday, and when a person does that they have to pay fare differential
2
This was my first real vacation in a 2 years. I work as an academic physician in the US, on a visa for the last 15 years.
I was in Germany on the 3rd day of my vacation. When I found out this morning, i realized I could be locked out of the US for a month +.
we paid $3000 per person,today, as a couple on top of our previous $2100 per person.
$6000 to fly economy back to the US.
are we really worried about the airlines?
109
@jack I think being stuck wouldn't be so bad, do you really want to get on a germ filled plane right now? Besides, Germany has pretty good food , great beer and if needed, premium healthcare. For $6000 you could have a nice month in the countryside & hunker-down. I think you played the wrong card, bud.
11
@jack , what possessed you to go in the first place? You are an academic physician but I presume you have a modicum of scientific understanding. What vacation is worth getting infected with COVID-19 and then bringing more back home.
24
@Debbie
the difference between us: you're the person buying up all the toilet paper and I'm the person who takes all necessary precautions, wipes down every surface and minimizes contact but wont let it affect my life.
Just like the CDC advises.
That's right; many of us physicians look at CDC for guidance and the CDC had no issues with Germany.
9
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. FDR
16
@Harry Schaffner
FDR never met the inept current administration, or he might have hedged his bets too.
35
Any airline, charging outrageous fares for Americans trying to get home, should lose their right to international flights to and from this country - forever!
101
@82airborne1968
??? I think it's called supply and demand. And a free market economy. Sounds like you are advocating for price-fixing.
3
The cheap airfares are available for seats that can not be sold for more. Tickets near travel time are expensive. That is why people are told to buy their tickets in advance. Also, when a commodity is in short supply and demand suddenly rises, the price will go up. This is how companies remain in business.
4
@LouisP
No. IF airlines had raised the prices in regards to coronavirus, that would have been price gouging.
1
it would be safer to be in Europe than in the U.S. They are much more proactive and knowledgeable than 45th and his praying Pence, and conspiracy spewing Limbaugh
125
I'm returning to New York from my study abroad in Paris tomorrow. Are you going to quarantine yourself? It's unclear as to what I should do.
3
Charlotte
If you're not sick, not exposed to someone who tested positive (that you know of), not in a high-risk group, and are not told by authorities to self-quarantine, you should probably carry on as you might otherwise.
@Charlotte my niece is returning from studying in Rome tomorrow. Check online with your state health department, CDC guidelines, and your college. They can tell you what you need to know. My niece will have to quarantine for 2 weeks, but her University, UNM, begins compressed online courses in a few weeks so she can salvage about 12 credits for the semester.
7
@Charlotte be kind and quarentine yourself please.
17
I can’t wait for the Air Marshals to start getting rid of the Grey Hound bus crowd. I wish they’d use batons. Everyone deserves a flight, however, a suit ought to be required. Make European flights great again. Vote Democrat!
12
The airlines are no better than the thieving, low life cretins that are fouling the US government. How much of the money goes to Trump?
72
@Doremus Jessup It's a non sequitur, but I love the It Can't Happen Here reference, and it couldn't be truer now than ever before!
7
I have always believed Trump was CHAOTIC, AMORAL, TOXIC, and that everything and everyone he touches becomes the SAME. After experiencing his years of trying to be POTUS, I was definetely right! So sad for America AND the world.
104
With dumb Trump’s administration llike this who need another terrorist group to destroy America?
93
@Son Văn Nguyen If you are old enough to recall - OBL is supposed to have said 'they will destroy themselves.
4
@Son Văn Nguyen ..true that.. we are terrorized daily from the bloviator in the White House.
11
@Son Văn Nguyen From your name, I gather you're of Vietnamese origin. From what I've learned, the older VN people are supporting St. Trump. Sad.
3
Governments are scurrying around trying to plan and make decisions to contain this virus. This is an ever changing situation. We all have to be flexible, patient, and understanding. We will all be taken out of our comfort zone and inconvenienced. People should have cancelled their travel plans two weeks ago. We all saw this coming. Stay home until this passes.
22
@Itsmoi weird cuz as of a few days ago Trump was declaring his rallies “Very very safe”,
Making fun of & light of a virus that had killed many Americans. The WHO guidelines read that cancelling flights does little unless the very beginning of outbreak. He’s supposed to abide their recommendations but continues just making up stuff to do to seem like he’s taking action. You may not care if our leader is irresponsible during this epidemic but I do care.
35
@Itsmoi Absolute nonsense! When the very President makes a statement that proves to be inaccurate if not flat out wrong, that statement, as much of what comes out of the WH does, affects millions of frantic AMERICANS. THAT is beyond inexcusable. How can so many mistakes in a 15 minute speech be made? Does ANYONE there actually know what they are doing? Scurrying is NOT something the US should be doing, or doing to its citizens. We USED to be much better than that and your "there, there, be patient" is a poor and pathetic apology for the indefensible.
24
@Itsmoi Thanks for saying that. I think that following your philosophy is the only way to get through this and still retain one's sanity.
I saw a report that some airlines are capping ticket prices for return flights to the U.S. Mr. McIntire should follow up with the airline and see if he can get some kind of relief on the price of the new tickets, given the unprecedented situation. He and many others were clearly misled by the president's inaccurate speech.
66
With a family member who winters in Europe, and many years of international travel experience, we learned long ago to accept that sometimes there will be circumstances beyond our control. And yes, sometimes the common sense thing to do ends up costing (a great deal of) money.
Due to the possibility of a pandemic, we'd paid once to change the return flights, moving them up 10 days. After last nights chaotic and inaccurate announcement, we determined that the goal was to return prior to Friday.
It was not fear of contagion that drove our decision - rather, the difficulty of getting an extended stay visa. Being "stuck" in Europe for an additional 30 days or more would cause an overstay, which could lead to deportation. We have no concerns about international health care - it is often far more accessible, and affordable and better than that in USA.
By simply being willing to travel on multiple carriers and return via London, we booked flights at a relatively reasonable price. Just after booking, the clarification came, that US citizens would not be banned form returning. However further lack of clarity and ongoing extreme confusion over which airports one might be permitted to return to and the specter of a mandatory 14-day quarantine convinced us to get travel this morning.
We rather have stuck with our cheaper tickets for travel next week However, returning to the USA today, before the ban kicks in is worth the cost of new tickets.
C'est la vie!
23
@elise , so it's reasonable for a European country to deport you for overstaying a visa but racist and immoral for the United States to do the same to a foreigner who has overstayed his visa here? Love that liberal logic
12
@elise Do you really think you would have been deported from Europe by overstaying your visa considering the situation of you being unable to return to the US? Even if you were deported, they might make you wait a while before you can return to Europe but it's not like you would be banned for life for something outside of your control!
FYI - you could have likely booked a relatively cheap ticket to Canada and then flown home from Canada to the US.
7
@Jack I don’t see where she said that at all.
10
It seems to me that Americans are being locked inside. We can’t go out. If we do, we might not be able to get back. Like the iron curtain. It feels that way.
17
@Zejee I agree, and again Trump is doing the opposite of world Health Organization recommends? It’s no safer in the US. in fact Africa & India are doing a much better job managing the virus and protocols. It literally states in WHO guidelines blocking flights does nothing to stop the spread unless very beginning of pandemic, but it can sound good for politicians. Clearly Trump doesn’t hear or care what is actually helpful, only what thinks makes him look good. I wish we had pretty much any other potus right now.
21
". . . wondering if being home would really be any safer than staying away."
There's no guarantee one place will be safer than another.
What is guaranteed is the sense of familiarity and comfort when being ill at home vs. abroad or in any foreign country.
That happened to me one time when my husband and I were in London. Even though his uncle is a physician and was at the hospital where I was admitted, I felt terrified and so scared because my own doctor wasn't there. Nothing about the hospital nor the treatment was familiar to me.
I did get better. But what a lonesome and lonely feeling for those three days. Sometimes nothing beats the sight and sound of a familiar and trusted friend who also happens to be one's physician.
So very glad you got back to New York okay. I'm sure your wallet will feel bruised for a long time.
12
@Marge Keller I agree!
Wondering what would have happened if you had just stayed in Paris. For that amount of money, you could have extended an apartment and played it by ear. You do have a valid excuse to be stranded abroad.
29
@Pb
There are a lot worse fates than an extended stay in Paris, but sometimes people have to return - for work, for pets, for kids, for other obligations, etc. At least the writer could afford the $5k for the tickets. Many young people travel overseas on a shoestring budget to experience new cultures, and in case of something like this would be completely out of luck.
5
Donald Trump COULD have stopped the Airlines from price gouging when he announced banning all travel from Europe, but then again since he cares more about corporations than people we all know he did this on purpose.
44
Well the article begs the question of why the couple decided to embark on the trip to Paris less than a week ago. Being in the position of not being able to get back home was a fairly foreseeable possibility even 3-4 weeks ago in my opinion, at least as far as my travel plans went anyway. This crisis is comparable to a World War breaking out. There are plenty of warning signs.
30
@Patrick -- they had return tickets already and not being able to return was not a fairly foreseeable possibility. And no, travel insurance won't cover government action or a virus.
8
@JMM
Ok, we disagree then. So it comes down to I guessed right as far a taking a semi annual European vacation just now, and this couple, and thousands of others apparently, guessed wrong. Just a question then of experience and being in tune to the big picture.
5
Money TRUMPS everything - so much for Democratic Principles- so sad for true democracy.
5
Why did this not name the airline and at least allude to price gouging?
19
@J Sharkey
I am curious what the airlines might say in their defense. I often check out round trip airfares to Europe on Expedia. While there are usually several bargain flights typically in the sub $800 range, prices steeply escalate beyond that to around $1500 with some in the $3000 area for coach. There may be very rational reason for the stiff increases beyond gouging like planes being grounded and faced with steep airport parking fees. Just saying.
2
J Sharkey,
Because he is still hoping to get a partial refund or other credit later?
Clearly this is a hassle at best for most of us on holiday in Europe. But- it’s impossible to reach any airlines by phone and the web sites are overloaded and apps malfunctioning. I and friends madly booked new flights out tomorrow, hoping we can argue that they should just change the original (now canceled) flight instead of having us pay $1900 for this new one.
Hard to know what the airline responsibility is when our government threw them a curve ball that will devastate them with little warning or guidance.
And- crazy to self quarantine for 2 weeks when the Bay Area (home) has more cases than the area I’m leaving in Europe.
8
Ok, we all know that Trump can mess up even a simple weather report. But to be fair,
he was only reading from the teleprompter what someone else had written for him. Of course, most presidents have speechwriters, and one would think they read the stuff and rehearse it before going on tv to deliver it to the nation. But seriously, does anybody expect Trump to do that? Remember the "Two Corinthians . . "?
On the other hand, he always receives plenty of accolades when the speech is good, standing ovations even, so yes, he needs to own this one.
6
@M. Imberti .... honestly No - I sincerely DOUBT that Trump was reading verbatim from the teleprompter. I believe (1) he either couldn’t see or could not comprehend the words , or (2) decided to wing it.
13
I'm glad that you made it home; I would not use the word 'panic' to describe your activities - you took action, and in the current environment, panic equates to inaction. Certain leaders of the free world, whom I shall not name, are exhibiting this kind of deer-in-the-headlamps inaction.
6
I can not imagine the anxiety you and others are experiencing with the kind of information you are getting. Traveling based on your description sounds really ugly.
5
Im going to go ahead and guess the "liberal" Left is going to blame Trump for this. How do I know that is a good guess... because they blame him for EVERYTHING.
10
Indeed it’s a Mystery - Lits!
4
If the shoe fits...and it always fits him. Always.
20
@Mystery Lits
If the shoe fits!!
9
For months leading up to the last election, Trump fabricated crisis after crisis. Trump lied, exaggerated, blamed and pulled the greatest chicken little routine ever seen. All along he stated that 'he was the only one that could fix the mess.' Then, after getting elected, Trump continued with the lies and the phony crisis after crisis routine. All along, Trump bungled one move after another.
Now, there is a real crisis for the 'chosen one', and he's bumbling it. Trump's incompetence has yet to eclipse that of the three stooges, but he is on track and giving it a good shot.
If anyone needs anymore indication that Trump was and remains America's biggest mistake, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn that you might be interested in.
38
Wait a minute! They have a national healthcare system in France, don’t they ? Maybe you’re better off staying there than paying coyote rates to get home.
31
@Cabell Hatfield
And if deported for overstaying a visa, you will be flown home. I'm sure there won't be any Grey Poupon on that flight though.
2
OK, why does everything have to devolve into an anti Trump message? I am certainly no fan, but come on, we are in a crisis, let's all pull together as Americans now. Also, as a NYT reporter with the Investigations Unit no less, I have a seriously hard time believing he couldn't remedy the situation.
7
He did remedy the situation. It cost him a lot of money. Thanks for advising him from your safe perch in the US
7
@BIW
Tell that to the GOP Senate which is refusing to approve sick pay for the tens of millions of people who don't have it.
That means they work and infect others.
Pull together, indeed.
11
@BIW He could, but he won't.
Anyone taking an airplane ride is bound to catch
what the other passengers have.
How lovely of the Airlines to make a fortune off
of the misery and needs of their passengers.
11
I suggest you have your attorney submit the bill to the WH c/o The Dumpster.
Then, remember to never ever react to his original comments or tweets. The revised reality will follow --without fail.
10
Hasn't this writer misunderstood the European restrictions?
According to the following statement:
Homeland Security officials later clarified that the new travel restrictions would only apply to most foreign nationals who have been in the "Schengen Area" at any point for 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States. The area includes Italy, German, Greece, Austria, Belgium and others. It doesn't apply to legal permanent residents, immediate family of U.S. citizens or others "identified in the proclamation."
To me this does not apply to US citizens or permanent residents coming back from Europe - it applies to foreign nationals entering the US who have been in the Schengen area for up to 14 days prior to departure.
Confused ...... ??
3
@Paul That was the clarification that came out some time after Trump's original announcement. During that time, quite a few Americans, it seems, spent outrageous amounts of money to buy tickets out of fear of being stranded in Europe indefinitely.
13
@Paul “later clarified.” They acted before it was later clarified.
6
@Paul Re-read the article
Yes, the writer realised his mistake but only after buying a very expensive ticket.
While the airlines are looking or a bail out of sorts, they must be making a packet on these emergency tickets !!
8
"wiping down seat armrests with sanitizer..."
Where I live in New Jersey, sanitizer alone is a $5,000 expense. So at least you got two flights and still had some sanitizer for your $5,000.
8
Trump needs to go sooner than November 3rd, 2020. He needs to go now. Remove him from office and put someone in there who can lead the country and make rational decisions and keep us safe. This has gone on long enough. We are sick and tired of him and his lies. We are scared and we are at the end of our rope! Please find another person to lead the country....NOW!!!!!
22
@Peggy Do not depend on the government to direct you to the nearest exit sign. You have to take responsibility for your own safety by doing your own research on the subject. Social isolation has been described as the only way to be safe. I have done this for 3 weeks and purchased all my food and supplies as well. I did not wait for anybody to tell me what to do.
@Peggy Take your anti-anxiety tablet. He's doing a good job, all things considered. Remember before the virus was renamed Covid-19, it was called a novel Corona virus. "Novel " means "new." In other words there is a learning curve we all have been navigating. Mr. Trump has a full plate compared to almost anyone else. He is however smart and he cares about the nation's well being. Dealing with this virus would be tough under ANY President.
1
Trump should not be allowed to speak on COVID-19 anymore. Have Pence do it, with prepared remarks that Fauci and Scuchat give him. Send Trump to a bunker, and say he is in isolation and take away his Twitter and spare the world of his gibberish.
293
@Bcereus
Send 45 to a bunker or to a rally with 500+ sneezing, coughing supporters? Hmmm...
44
@Bcereus yeah because the coronavirus would wait a few more days so these ppl could go home. It's a polite yet persistent virus.
1
@Left Coast Only 500?
1
Thanks again, NYT, for keeping us abreast of the travails of rich people.
71
@Vin What makes you assume that they are rich. I was left with quite the opposite impression. Without correct information, they scrambled to get tickets out of Europe fearing that they would be caught there. When they tried to get their money back, they couldn't. Upon reaching the airport and realizing that the situation wasn't going to be resolved in time, they decided to bite the bullet and use the very expensive tickets and at least get home. There was the possibility that they could have been stuck in Europe paying very high rates for a hotel. I would have used the credit on my card as well. I am certainly not rich and would have been extremely upset to have to go into such debt to get home, but that's the choice I would have made as well.
20
@Vin
Yikes, he’s a reporter, not a plutocrat. Lighten up.
17
Why assume they are rich? Even middle class Americans do like to travel and see the world.
22
Trump, Pence, Pompeo, Esper, Mnuchin, Barr etc should send their government planes to round up Americans coming from Europe.
33
I'm glad it all worked out.
9
Airlines will gouge and fleece customers any way they can. Then they will turn around and ask for a taxpayer funded bailout. This is the worst kind of socialism you Trump voters. I hope you are happy about it.
157
@Indisk everyone should contact their representatives and demand any taxpayer funds to travel companies and airlines be partly conditioned on providing refunds to travelers.
10
The impact of Trump's fiddling from but one traveler's nightmare.
16
Guess this is where shelling out a few extra bucks for traveler's insurance really helps.
Welcome home.
15
@N. Smith Traveler's insurance almost never covers major world events like pandemics
21
@N. Smith Trip insurance would probably not cover this situation. My husband and I were supposed to fly to Israel this weekend, and I paid almost $500 for trip insurance when I booked the tickets a few months ago. We had to cancel the trip this week when Israel said that all arriving travelers had to immediately go into self-quarantine for 2 weeks, which would have been impossible for us because we were supposed to stay in an Airbnb that was not stocked with food. If you couldn't prove that you could self-quarantine, you would be turned away. When we called the trip insurance company, they said the government restricting entry was not a covered cause for cancellation.
15
@N. Smith One problem, though, with Travel Insurance: most policies only cover the cost of your cancelled Flights of Hotel, for medical reasons - and your claim needs to be attested to by a doctor. Best advice for a traveler in this situation is the same for all of us facing the virus pandemic: don't panic... and certainly do not take at face value anything Trump tells us.
10
Donald Trump may be more lethal than the new coronavirus.
Shame on him.
56
@LCG what do you mean maybe?
10
@coop1980 Right -- good point!
President Trump's brain refuses to process thoughts coherently -- hence the pronouncements and clarifying (but contradictory) tweets that follow.
Time to fling him out.
39
This is what happens when you elect a used car salesman President.
135
@Tim
You know a used car salesman ranks above Trump don’t you?
17
I’ve booked last minute flights to or from Europe, and while high, $2500 per passenger is not unheard of last minute in high demand times. Yes, I do think there is an element of the carrier taking advantage. They are probably trying to make bank in the light of loss of revenue sources (destined to only get worse) and the financially disastrous Max 737 debacle.
If you are a frequent passenger with said carrier, perhaps you can get it sorted out later. Thankfully you are home. The information we have received is unclear - so forgive me if I am wrong - but wasn’t there something about American citizens being allowed back from Shengen nations - with the proviso that they still must self quarantine after the appointed time? You got home just under the wire.
The other thing is, while your circumstances are disconcerting, traveling to Europe during the COVID19 outbreak with the virus rapidly spreading IN Europe HAD to have rung a bell of caution. It was a calculated risk, and unfortunately one that came with a high sticker price. Fortunately you are home, healthy and not quarantined...
20
There are several comments about airlines price gouging. My experience with Delta for domestic flights was exactly the opposite: very helpful, no change fees, and no outrageous price (in fact, I got a credit) for the new tickets made on very short notice. The airlines are under significant stress at the moment; I was pleasantly surprised at the effort the Delta reps used to help us.
57
@J.
Lucky you. My experience outlined in an earlier comment was totally different!
2
I was stranded in Paris on 9/11, much in the same way. ALL flights were grounded. My traveling companion had already boarded her outgoing flight and was on the runway, and the flight was put on hold while people tried to figure things out. I was not due to return for two more days due to a meeting and had returned to Paris, but I called my carrier and they said that even my flight was cancelled, with much confusion.
I realized that the best possibility lay in returning to CDG and taking a hotel room right in the airport hotel. I immediately went to the carrier desks and inquired from a senior-looking carrier agent, only to find out that, for some unknown reason, the flight that my companion was on was being held for ME (someone along the way had actually listened and done something) - I was told to get there FAST. Back to the room, grabbed my packed bag and was rushed to the gate by the police. When I boarded, I was seated right next top my companion. $350 poorer but safe and happy.
The motto of the story, should you read this: GO TO THE AIRPORT AND STAY THERE, and keep inquiring about YOUR flight home. In such confusion, few people know which end is up. If you're there, you can get right on the plane - often first come, first served. Unpack only what you're wearing. A hotel room is a LOT less expensive than a $5,000 or $20,000 ticket!
17
I’m in Northern Italy, quarantined like everybody else, and I have to say it never even crossed my mind to try to get back Stateside because of the coronavirus outbreak. At least here I know that the government is coherent enough to mount a solid public health campaign to stem the spread of the virus. The quarantine is proof of that. The government is also taking concrete steps to help people weather the financial hardship the quarantine is causing.
Meanwhile in the USA, Trump is making it abundantly clear that the only crises he can manage are the ones he makes himself. The Trump Administration’s botched response to the coronavirus outbreak has thrown the country into a state of chaotic anxiety. Instead of taking the public health steps that need to be taken, there’s denial, confusion, and political finger-pointing. The economic damage from the resulting stock market crash will make things even worse.
224
@DavidE If the US government tried to impose a mandatory quarantine three weeks ago, people would have protested, sued, ignored it, and questioned it. Too many Americans do not want to be inconvenienced and are too selfish to sacrifice for the greater good. I sounded the alarm to my own family three weeks and they dismissed my warnings. Well, now I think they and the rest of the population are scared and will take action to isolate.
5
@DavidE I read here in the Times that the admission of but 900 patients to Italian ICUs threw the country's hospital system into chaos. That doesn't seem like a good advertisement for the Italian public health system.
2
@Itsmoi I live in a Fox community and trust me they still are not taking this serious and continue to go about their lives. They do not have the genes of a stable genius. Don't know if they will change their minds but I am keeping my distance from them.
9
While I sympathize with this person's plight. Had he used a travel agent, we are experts in dealing with distressed situations. I have worked through 9/11, 2008 and the various volcanic eruptions.
A one-way last minute ticket is always expensive, but that being said, having an advocate on your side would have certainly helped these people not have such a huge bill
29
A collective global response was needed months ago. Too late now. We are in this all together. It would maybe have helped if Americans had not voted the way they did. Too late now.
22
Isn’t $2500 per ticket for a last minute trip from Paris to NYC pretty much on par with usual prices?
Think too about the cost of another month’s rental in Paris if you couldn’t go home. You didn’t overpay at all.
28
@ASY
"Isn’t $2500 per ticket for a last minute trip from Paris to NYC pretty much on par with usual prices? "
No !! Of course not..
1
At least, you could have gotten tested in Paris. The CDC website shows 8 people tested on Tuesday in the US. I’d have stayed there.
42
One, of several, good reasons to use a Travel Agent. (I know, I've been there when my flight was cancelled.) They could have helped on both ends of this transaction. (booking and cancelling)
8
My non-US citizen husband is abroad in France for a family emergency. I had a similar panicked experience as this couple’s daughter due entirely to trump reading misleading information off of a teleprompter. Once the actual text of the proclamation was available this morning it was clear that my husband met three of myriad exemptions to the policy: legal permanent resident, married to US citizen, patent of US citizen. All this would have been avoided with basic leadership and competence.
49
I don’t think Trump can read very well. His speech created so much confusion. He even said that cargo coming from Europe would be stopped too. Later, clarifying statements had to be put out. I’ve watched Macron, Johnson and Angela Merkel and they all sound far more intelligent, trustworthy and caring than Trump.
8
Everything trump does whipsaws the world. There of course would be other means of coping with the problem if anyone in the administration or trump party had any clue how to handle emergencies. The old republican party with the assistance of trump is incapable of decision making and works in unison to dismantle those that do attempt to bring order to what will finally be their undoing in an election year. Even his most ardent and ludicrous supporters are feeling a little uneasy with him at the helm.
18
Your president doesn't care
He flies only private. Has never seen a grocery store, airport line or even a credit card bill. Probably doesn't even know how to pay bills, check a bank or credit card statement, make a budget or save to do something important.
If your world does not revolve around him, he really doesn't care.
185
@Anne. I'm sure that he's seen a credit card bill. I'm just not sure that he's ever paid one.
36
@Anne
Infection rates are higher in Canada than in the US.
1
@ebmem
Fake news-not true.
23
Personally I would rather stay in France, where there are tests available, a rational President, and top-notch health care.
278
@Roberta
The Seattle fatalities had fully funded health insurance as well as access to excellent care. Since there are no specific medical treatment protocols for the Wuhan coronavirus, even though they were tested and were positive for the virus, how would they have been better off in France?
3
@Roberta there is a large amount of cases of coronavirus in France right now unfortunately. So really, the only place that you may be safe is in the countryside now. go figure.
2
@ebmem
The Seattle fatalities were mostly elderly people with underlying conditions. And, frankly, very few for profit nursing homes provide even decent care, much less excellent care. Some of those patients may even have been on Medicaid rather than Medicare. But then maybe you know more than most because I understand that nursing home is part of a chain based in Tennessee. Are you an employee of that company?
12
True leadership would have assured airlines: get Americans back home, one plane at a time, fill them up, fly them off, worry about the ticketing another day. But that's too much to expect I guess.
20
2020 Tax deduction, and blame it on Trump lies. An Oval Office speech should be the truth — a nebulous concept for which he has no affinity.
9
Yes I got to see this too. After cancelling a flight yesterday I see that the airline can charge me $200 and steal the rest of the money if I don't travel with them by December 31 of this year. I have my own small business and I can't steal the customers money if I don't offer them anything, nor do I want to cheat my customers.
22
Dear Scott t, This is the consequence of buying a cheap, non refundable ticket. If you had paid for more than the basic economy ticket there would not be a change fee. The cheapest tickets come with the most restrictions which you would know if you read the fine print. You were NOT cheated by the airlines. You agreed to their terms by buying the cheap economy, non refundable ticket (In order to save money.) and now you are complaining because there is a (stated in the agreement when you purchase the ticket) change fee and limit to how long you have to use the non refundable ticket.
8
@scott t
You signed a contract for the ticket. You could have paid more for a refundable ticket, but chose instead to by a nonrefundable ticket with a high rescheduling charge.
3
@deRuiter
The tickets my husband and I had were first class tickets, not cheap economy ones. And all the years I have flown on Delta I have always been given credit for the ticket and a year to use the credit for another flight. And I wouldn't have objected if I had been charged the $200 mentioned on the website instead of more than double that amount! Turns out my workshop was cancelled and the location closed down as well. The hotels were much more accommodating, giving full refunds and letters I got from Hilton even mentioned they were even refunding on "non-cancellable" reservations.
2
May everyone who endured or was touched by this travesty recognize on Election Day that it was caused unnecessarily by a scripted speech read over the airwaves that omitted essential information. Because those scrambling to change their tickets probably knew instinctively that it would make no epidemiological sense to allow exceptions, it didn't occur to them that the information might be erroneous.
Bad president. Bad, bad, dangerous president.
65
Exactly. Reading the actual text of the proclamation, there are many exemption to the policy, us citizens, permanent residents, spouses of us citizens, parents of us citizens, military, airline crews, etc. How does this policy help anything, other than to place the blame of “foreigners”?
9
@GreaterMetropolitanArea
In comparison, 20,000 Americans were infected and 1,000 Americans died of the swine flu before the precious Obama did anything. Also a virus originating in China.
Trump evacuated Americans who were stranded in Wuhan and also returned Americans stranded in Japan.
Although the people of China are not responsible for the pandemic, their totalitarian government is.
Somehow, the fact that a few wealthy America vacationing in Europe have now been inconvenienced doesn't seem as bad as the egregious negligence of Obama.
1
@ebmem
A false claim by Trump. H1N1 flu occurred when Obama had barely taken office and by April of 2009 he had declared a public health emergency after only 20 cases of swine flu emerged.
12
They can sell whatever sanitizer they have left when they arrive in the U.S. and quickly recoup the $5000.
14
So now we'll see plenty of US citizens fleeing en masse Europe (some of them unkowingly carrying the virus), going back to America where the epidemic outbreak is only at its beginning stage. And they are ready to pay a premium for that.
That'd be a nice demonstration of what blind panic can achieve: people spending insane amounts of money just to end up taking higher health risks.
18
$5,000 for tickets to return to the US.
I hope that there is no plan to 'bail out' airlines, entities that gouge customers on itinerary changes, baggage fees, seat fees and carryon fees, and offer no refunds.
525
@Don
In good times, business keeps all the profits and behaves as if things will never change. As soon as anything goes wrong, there they are with hat in hand for the taxpayers to bail them out.
Same old [story].
53
@Don
Have you flown FIRST CLASS on that route lately? $5000 for a one-way very-last-minute ticket is not unusual in any circumstances. I'm not sure it was gauging because FIRST is usually quite optional. If it was AF, at least the meal was great!
8
@RealTRUTH. Per the article, Mr. McIntire booked two economy tickets.
34
How is this not price gouging?
Like selling water for $20 a bottle in a flooded or hurricane stricken region.
202
Blame Trump and company, not the airlines.
The very high price is probably not gouging because the flight was priced that way for a while. It is not unusual to pay multiples of tickets purchased in advance when the purchase are made hours before the flight. Airlines figure it's usually business travelers who need quick flights, and charge such prices thinking it's not the flyer who will pay, but the company.
12
@Brendan Welcome to the world of last minute business travel. These are normal one-way within 24 hour prices that my company has paid 10s of time in recent years.
9
@Brendan
Walmart and the Salvation Army respond faster than the federal government and they give away essential goods.
You must be thinking of Manhattan, where Walmart is banned.
2
I would like to see Trump sued personally for Gross Negligence for his misstatements during his speech that caused Damages to these American citizens. If you have a Megaphone you need to use it Responsibly.
457
@flicker9
Apparently Trump's new chief of staff is quarantined. Trump's mis-statements in his Oval Office address needed an editor. Too bad his children/aides didn't look at what he was going to say and correct the errors. (American citizens were not banned. Trade goods are not banned)
These are some of the consequences when voters put into office a person unfit to be president who hires staff unfit for their jobs. Words matter when a president speaks; people act on his words. Too many unqualified staff members chosen for loyalty and not whether they can do the job.
Maybe the Republican cult members will wake up to the reality that Trump should have been convicted and removed from office (along with Pence.) The USA needed strong, competent leadership for this serious pandemic. Instead taxpayers are stuck with Trump.
30
Send the bill to Trump since he was the one who made the mistake.
235
@Pete he'll pay it like he's paid all his others.
36
So are all of our international airports prepared to test people as they rush back into the united states?
58
@Leaving The answer with drum roll is NO.
11
@Leaving forget the testing, it's everywhere, brace for impact on medical infrastructure
10
Yay for the airlines, scoring big with new pandemic profiteer pricing!
60
@Esteban
Those are the regular prices that airlines charge for flights that are booked close to flight time.
Trump really knows how to calm down a situation. What a fool! I wish he'd watch some TV other than FOX so that he would know what to do.
How could his speechwriters be so irresponsible?
130
Wait, you're asking how Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner could be so irresponsible. Could it be that their combined experience is less than the life time of a gnat? Could it be that it has been years in the case of Miller, and never for Kushner, that they have traveled airlines internationally?
42
@Susan Or, you know, not govern based on what he sees on TV at all?
10
@Susan
They have no backbones and/or no morals.
13
Donald Trump's message created frenzied panic among American travelers in Europe. This led to a situation in which Americans first believed that they had to get out of Europe by midnight Friday. Panicked travelers then began booking flights for exorbitant amounts of money to leave Europe. Shame on Trump for creating this panic and shame on the airline industry for charging ridiculous amounts of money for Americans to get home. Disgusting!
280
@Nancy O'Reilly Yes. Congress should investigate when things calm down and everyone who was Misled by the Incoherent should be recompensed.
17
@Nancy O'Reilly Something must be done about the airline monopoly. In 2020, they are essentially a public utility and yet their mission is only to gouge and shortchange consumers in service to their shareholders. There are good reasons why public utilities need to be monopolies, but when they are deemed so and granted that status, the expectation is that they are no longer beholden to the profit motive. At least in a just democratic society.
9
@Aubrey i think if people would have paid attention and checked the news right after his speech, they would have learned it didn’t apply to US citizens.
1
What a nightmare. They can thank Donald for the mix up.
As I've said before, I wouldn't trust Trump to rebuild my garbage disposal, much less my country.
93
Of course he screwed it up and caused unnecessary panic. Par for his course.
70
Just a perfect example of how incomplete information from our leaders can unnecessarily screw up individual decisions we make. So sorry you had to deal with this.
49
What is better with Coronavirus? Some unchecked, greedy capitalism, of course.
18
@Pillai
The airlines are suffering, too. They are not perfect, but don't wish their demise. The last couple of seats on a flight anytime, anywhere are always expensive.
14
@robin Not feeling too sorry for the airlines right now.
6
@robin They have been making around 20 Billion USD profit annually. Not sure I will call that suffering.
But - what they will do to counteract this dive is to lay off their employees, instead of dipping into their coffers. That's another nice capitalism side effect.
8
We just cancelled our trip to Europe yesterday. Not because of the virus, but because of Trump's lack of leadership.
224
Now this sounds foolish. What does Trump's leadership have to do with your canceling a trip? You are afraid of the virus and you have canceled your trip. If you went to Europe you'd be out from under Trump's leadership which theoretically would make you happy. So don't be blaming your canceled trip on Trump. You don't like the man? That's OK, say so. but don't blame him for you being afraid to travel.
18
@deRuiter
Calm down.
20
@Thrill is Gone Really now? You should have canceled that vacation two weeks ago because of the virus.
3
What a nightmare, and probably repeated thousands of times. This is what happens when your government is floundering and desperately throwing anything against the wall because they've been caught utterly unprepared to deal with a crisis.
Remember in November.
384
@Pat Not my government. All those who voted for the incompetent Trump - it's their government. The rest of us are stuck and paying th price.
38
I hope there is no bailout for these airlines price gouging people.
27
@Dave
The airlines are suffering, too. They are not perfect, but don't wish their demise. The last couple of seats on a flight anytime, anywhere are always expensive.
Further, I did not read the piece as a complaint about price gouging. Did you read it, or just the title? Maybe a new title would help.
2
@Dave I don't think they necessarily got gouged for a ticket, Paris to NY, purchased 24 hrs (or less) prior to departure.
13
@robin You must work for an airline. You've made the same comment under multiple people's comments. Price gouging is illegal, simple as. Raising prices to this degree is price gouging. Airlines should not offset their suffering to others in a desperate situation. That is greed.
9
i hope you're not voting for trump, after his incompetent address created the mess you just experienced. what kind of president gives a special and urgent national televised speech -- that has to be corrected for accuracy afterward, on twitter?
leaving travellers like this one in a lurch of MISinformation and expense?
172
Hey, maybe you should write the Game Show Host in Chief. He may help you out I'm sure he feels terrible about single-handed causing the panic that roped you into this mess by simply misspeaking in a 10 minute emergency talk. But I get the feeling he would insist the speech was a perfect one.
73
Once again what President says about anything is less than useful. In this case it created panic
40
“wondering if being home would really be any safer than staying away.”
Did any government official greet your plane upon landing? Were you given instructions about self-quarantining? Did anyone suggest what you do if you did come down with symptoms?
I’ll guess the answer is NO. Since there hasn’t been a single instance that I have heard or read about where the government behaved like this is a pandemic and treated arriving flights like a potential infection point.
The pandemic team set up by the Obama administration was dismantled as being unnecessary by this president.
He is treating this like it is an election year “hoax” thought up by some devious democrats.
329
@Donna Mac Author posted on Twitter about an hour ago that upon landing at JFK no one asked them anything, except “Have you been in China?”
53
That’s the only question they asked me at JFK arriving from Heathrow, hub of the world.
24
@Debbie
According to Trump, it's ALL China's fault. He tried to blame it on Democrats, but that went no where. Hillary didn't;t do it; Obama didn't do it; even Hunter Biden didn't do it. That leaves China, of course.
Trump is always right - just ask him.
30
Not trying to be heartless but why would people still be going on vacations to Europe right now? Same goes for literally any cruise
23
@Laura Exactly!
8
@Laura
Europe was pretty good 2 weeks ago (roughly when these people left the US).
Suspect the US will look like Europe in 2 weeks.
10
@Laura -- why wouldn't I go to France on holiday in May. We have the virus here and they have it in France so how am I worse off. Insurance won't reimburse me for my Euro train tickets and my prepaid hotels and my Air France tickets from Nice to Paris. Why should I lose thousands and thousands of dollars. You bet I am going.
24
Leave it to Trump to make a comment that is unclear or lacks details and causes maximum panic.
113
1. You went to a continent currently being overrun by a virus that can be spread by unknowing sources. A dubious idea at best.
2. You went at a time when nations have been closing their doors and airlines have been shutting down worldwide.
3. Your daughter misinformed you and and the most reliable places you could think of for confirmation were two that thrive on panic and misinformation, TV and Twitter?
4. You apparently thought you would be the only ones trying to contact transportation and card companies.
Your lucky you did not lose more than your $5k.
47
@TED338
YEESH why blame the victim.
53
So, assuming they booked a while ago, and as recently as last week, only a corner of Italy was a problem, you choose to blame the traveler? Nice!
34
The text of the actual proclamation was not available last night. Trump said that all people and goods would be banned in two days. Please forgive the daughter to believing what the president of the US read off a teleprompter in a nationally televised speech.
40
Did you think of travelling to the UK then getting a flight to the US?? Travel from the UK is not (yet) banned.
14
The except of the policy posted on the gov website said anyone who has been in a Schengen country in the last 14 days.
4
@JP9094 I think that is because he owns golf resorts there and wants to still make money.
4
CDG airport can be chaotic. The last time I was in France I started hearing word of a possible pilots strike days before departure. I was repeatedly informed that my fight would not be cancelled, although it was with an American airline that partnered with Air France. It was cancelled. The scene at the airport reminded me of an international cast of characters trying to get the last flight out of Saigon c. 1975. I reminded myself how much more pleasant it would have been to take rail to London and catch a plane back to the States from there.
6
Big case of a First World Problem.
23
You could say that about any problem that doesn't involve you. And when did Trump ever care about the Third World?
6
@jonT Own a passport? Been out of the US, ever?
8
@jonT Life does have it's challenges in the West.
2
Thank the Potus for the usual lack of clarity and his feckless administration.
24
Totally disgusting that airlines are charging exorbitant fares during this pandemic. Of course they want us taxpayers to bail them out as usual. Corporate welfare from the GOP, nothing for working folks!!
23
@EJ
The airlines are suffering, too. They are not perfect, but don't wish their demise. The last couple of seats on a flight anytime, anywhere are always expensive.
Further, I did not read the piece as a complaint about unfair pricing practices. Did you read it, or just the title? Maybe a new title would help.
4
@robin I didn’t wish their demise. I wish they would have a little compassion for folks trying to get home during this pandemic. Especially when finding accurate information is very difficult, phones busy and long lines. These folks already had tickets - wonder if they will get a refund.
2
There are worst things in life than being stuck in Paris.
143
@CDooge
Unless you're stuck in Paris without money....
23
@CDooge I'd think $5K would last a while, even in Paris or London.
32
@CDooge There's no place like home, there's no place like home. I won't click my heels 'cause I know that doesn't work,
4
I am certain you can get a deal, "The Stranded American Deal" at a Trump property in the British Isles. Remember to add the secret code to your reservation MAGA for a special gift.
27
@sues
...a MAGA RED hat, for sure. You can set it on fire if you're ever lost again. MANY people will come to your aid.
4
Looks like you hit the jackpot in terms of travel nightmares: a mentally challenged "leader" who can't even correctly articulate his own policy, and a rapacious airline industry that long ago abandoned customer service and exploits its customer base at every turn. I'm hopeful that a year from now the "leader" will be out of office and in some sanitarium being treated for his obvious dementia. I guess we're stuck with the airlines though.
50
I would stick it out in Paris rather than return to Trump´s nightmare
212
And this, all because our incompetent President, cannot even deliver the right information when he is trying NOT to lie.
67
I am on vacation in Spain with my daughter & went through a similar experience early this morning. I woke up around 2:30 am to check the details of the President’s speech. I was stunned when I saw that all travel from Europe would be banned. I began shopping for new tickets home on the same airline we flew to get here. We flew here on frequent flyer miles so I knew changing the flight to get home before the deadline would be impossible. I bought two one-way tickets for $5000.00. Because of the connections I would also have to get a hotel in London. By leaving early I would lose the money spent on train tickets back to Madrid & tickets we purchased for events in Barcelona. Oh & then we had to pack. We started throwing stuff in suitcases without any rhyme or reason. Luckily, around 4:00 a.m. my husband called to let me know that the ban applied to foreign nationals & that citizens could reenter the country. So I had to hustle to cancel the tickets I had just bought. I was very lucky & was able to cancel them & will fly home on Saturday as originally planned. But, I have to apply for a refund & will be charged a change fee because I bought them in less than 48 hours before the flight. So, all because our President did not speak clearly or accurately I will, at best, be out hundreds of dollars, at worst $5000. If I can get the airline to refund the tickets & waive the change fee, I am donating the fees to Joe Biden’s campaign.
648
@Nancy PendasSmith He never speaks clearly and accurately. Trump is like a King Midas of destruction for this crisis.
44
@Nancy PendasSmith
If the Republicans hadn't starved it of funding, you might have been able to apply to the CPFB for relief. Trump and his ilk don't care about the little people. Vote blue in November!!
66
@Nancy PendasSmith
Please note that many, perhaps most, of those returning to the US from Europe may be bringing the coronavirus.
Swell.
9
Wow, what a story! Sad thing is Donnie and crew wish to bail out the airlines! I’ll bet $5000 you don’t feel one bit sorry for them!!
13
Glad you made it out. Now, are you going to VOTE in November?
I sure hope so.
127
Ahhh. President Trump putting Americans first again.
16
@Joseph. Only the Americans who voted for him. If he could have managed it, he would have included Democrats in his travel ban.
3
It’s articles like this that make me wonder if the airlines deserve a bailout when this all plays out. Disgusting and predatory behavior by the airlines.
15
@Brandon It is called supply and demand!
3
I'll be honest. If I were your daughter, I wouldn't have told you about the travel ban. Not after the age of twelve. Send a check for groceries. I'll be fine.
If I we're the parent, I would stay in Europe. Here's a check for groceries. We'll be fine. If you need help, call aunt so-and-so. She'll know what to do.
Also consider. the ban doesn't apply to England. I'd grab a chunnel whenever was cheap. Extend my stay in England until a convenient flight. Call things a wrap.
$5,000 for a plane ticket? For get about it. I'd ask my neighbor to make sure she doesn't burn the house down.
38
@Andy
Agreed~!
Suppress the panic and
replace it with creativity!
11
Dear Andy
I am confused.
I would want my family member to call me. Some people say "if in doubt do nothing". The people n the Costa Concordia crusie ship that ran aground were told to do nothngn after the crash; go back to theircabins.
As to staying in Europe, it might be like staying in Europe in September 1939. The smart person gets back to the home base.
By the way, to get from Spain to England is more complex than walking from Fifth Avenue to Third Avenue.
Your final comment about the daughter not burning the house down is completely confounding. If a family member called me, I would be grateful for the heads up. Better to lose a few hours of sleep than to lose a window of opportunity.
3
I hope you’re home safe now. We had a very similar experience trying to leave Italy 3 years ago during an airline strike. Eventually we were able to be reimbursed by our original carrier.
4
Well, now I know there are more hospitals beds per inhabitant in France than in the US, and considering healthcare is much cheaper, I wonder if people shouldn't stay in Europe - although South Korea beats every other country as far as efficiency goes. And food is better.
75
Always try social media to connect with an agent. Use contact numbers for airlines in other countries to reduce the wait (e.g. Chile or Australia depending on time zone).
Also, never buy a one-way ticket - check fares for round-trips. I see direct flight leaving tomorrow from Orly for a fraction of the cost.
8
My sister, mother, and father are all in Barcelona. My sister just had her semester abroad canceled. My parents were vacationing to visit her. We had almost the exact same experience except we had to pay $17000 with no time to think as tickets became scarce and prices soared. Luckily after clarification, they realized their original departure time for a little later on would be okay, but $2000 was still spent to get my sister home. Trump failed on the most basic level of being clear about who this drastic measure affected. It was a horrible night.
234
@Daniel Weiner Sounds like it must have been stressful. People have to remember to keep up with the news. Right after his speech, it was clarified the Friday deadline did not apply to US citizens.
2
Similar experience last night except it was our kids who are studying abroad telling us that POTUS declared that they would have to come home on/or before Friday or be stuck there for who knows how long. Knowing there would be a run on flights regardless of the TBD reality, we quickly checked online and of course there was no mention of the ban not applying to U.S. citizens or any other details other than London was somehow excluded? (Can we connect through London and escape the ban?) - far be it from Trump or his administration to concurrently release the details of a plan online and to the media that affects a great number of citizens. Tickets on the carrier they are scheduled to return on in May were a fortune, so we quickly/thankfully booked less expensive connecting flights home on another carrier. Their friend tried to get the same flight 10 mins later and the price had gone up 2.5X. God help us all!
23
As long as you have proof you emailed the airline requesting a cancellation and refund within 24 hours of purchase - they have to give it to you. I went through this with United in 2008 and a copy of the email showing it sent was all I needed.
33
Crazy times. It's unfortunate that the coronavirus was politicized early on here in the U.S. Had the professionals been allowed to do their jobs and keep the public informed properly, you and wife might not have had to buy scalper tickets for you flight home.
My wife and I have been to Paris a number of times, and it is magnificent. But always good get back home.
Stay safe.
14
Sister returning from Portugal and was able to get a flight out
Saturday. She is going to self quarantine just to be safe. Not a bad idea after a long flight.
13
I have a brother and two nephews in Europe. after Trump's speech ( which was manifestly garbled) they immediately booked tickets home for today, and then found out the travel ban exempts American citizens. 3 tickets to Dulles from Amsterdam were 9K. But if they stayed beyond Friday how would they get back since Trump says he is ending all incoming flights?
9
I'm just appalled at what is going to be a second windfall for the airlines and executives.
After 9/11 we, as a nation, collectively came to the rescue of the airline industry, saving it from certain death. All these years later we can look back and see how we were repaid so to speak by said industry.
Less space, less seats, less everything at a much higher cost. Post 9 11, the airlines are super wealthy and doing quite well. What happened to the market, capitalism and the idea of you either succeed or fail on your own.
Socialism 101 here as once again, the gov comes to the rescue, air, wallstreet, oil and gas,on and on the list goes of hands' out seeking compensation.
Why are trump's supporters not screaming about socialist this and that? Let them fail, high time they feel our pain. I'm glad to see the CV has no boundaries, age, color, nationality, even wealth, fair is fair in my book. DT is elderly himself, just sayin.
16
@Ed I wouldn’t want President Pence at all!
1
Can you imagine? Had Trump accurately described the policy he'd decided, none of these ridiculously expensive airline tickets would have been sold to Americans and permanent residents. But it would seem that Mr. Trump never even considered whether what he said could mean that much.
37
When Trump made money giving speeches, he supposedly didn't read what had been written for him until presentation--no rehearsals.
As he read his speech roasting Hillary at the Al Smith dinner in 2016, he stopped several times to think about what the speechwriter had written. His expression showed he approved of what he had been given. Went over with a thud, however.
2
Leadership: making a bad situation much much worse.
2
Panic is the issue. Be safe, in the end you can only look forward and go day to day.
2
Send your bill for a $5,000 rebate to Mr. Trump with copies to the media. It was his miss-speak that caused the problem. At the least, your dilemma should be in the press. Trump does so much damage to America daily, and we never have an idea of what he will do tomorrow. After three years, Trump has no idea how to do the job as president. Nor will he ever.
24
@Ed --- This is the press... :)
1
I think the moral of the story is: more haste, less speed (I deliberately used a Britishism as the Brits aren’t included in the ban).
3
A casualty of this administration's inability to properly consider how their flippancy with their words can upend a family's financial status, calculated in one-hand's worth of hours. Incredible.
7
Sorry to be harsh, but for an investigative reporter, your investigating here was pretty weak. Within 5-10 minutes of Trump finishing speaking, Twitter was filled with ample information showing that the President had misspoke about the Europe travel ban. Those tweets often provided links to the correct information from Homeland Security, information that apparently would have saved you both money and angst.
15
@JBC
People shouldn't have to scan Twitter to find clarifications for Trump's announcement..
32
@WinstonSmith
Well said.
6
@JBC. If the President of the United States says one thing and twitter says another, who are you supposed to believe? It would be logical to believe that a carefully written and vetted speech would be authoritative, wouldn't it?
10
there's an example of free market supply and demand at work.
is that a sign that the market works? or is it an indication that there should be some regulation? or at least some other policy during times of global emergency?
i'm sorry you had to pay so much. i'm sorry nobody picked up your call.
i hope you are able to get a refund or credit for your other tickets.
airline stocks are getting murdered today. well, i guess all stocks are. i wonder who had this information and traded on it.
5
This is exactly the scenario I imagined when the President made the announcement. It's amazing how even when reading off a teleprompter he can be so imprecise in his language to cause such confusion. Glad they got home even if it was an expensive route.
11
In any emergency, there will be errors, but there is no excuse for the president making irresponsible, reckless, and erroneous statements, particularly during prepared remarks. The author is lucky. He only lost money because of our feckless commander-in-chief. Many others will also lose money through lost wages or sinking investments because of the inept response from this administration and the propaganda being spewed by its allies at the likes of Fox News. And then there are those who will lose their lives and loved ones because of it. This situation is what many have long feared with this president, his minions, and his apologists. The crisis is already spinning out of control, and it has barely started. Where is the leadership?
27
Safer? Back in that dysfunctional health care system just before the crest hits? I'd have taken my chances in Paris.
30
Are we all crazy? Did Mike McIntire and all the other Americans who are acting as if this is the last flight out of Lisbon and will do anything to be on it? Were I in their position, I would just sit tight and enjoy Paris until matters cleared. It's not as if this is a Night of the Living Dead episode.
22
If money can fix something it is not an issue.
6
$5000 for tickets... $20,000 for tickets. Whenever there's a catastrophe, there are people willing to step up and rob others of their life savings. What a wonderful world we live in, eh?
15
An extra month in Paris, and access to the French health system? As the old comedy routine goes, "I'm thinking, I'm thinking...."
52
So Americans in Europe can fly home, but no Europeans can travel on the same planes with them. Apparently, no American coming from Europe could ever contract the virus while there -- who would have this powerful insight but Donald Trump?
Thank you, Mr. President, for so brilliantly muddling the entire coronavirus situation. As you have said so often, "Only I can do it."
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@Bob I think you can’t legally bar citizens from entering their own country. Even though he would want to.
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@N
A government can place citizens under quarantine upon arrival.
Israel is placing all international travelers under a two week quarantine upon arrival in Israel.
10
Maybe our "billionaire" president can compensate all these Americans out of his own pocket who've had to pay extortionate prices for flights because he misspoke and wasn't willing to correct himself on air because of his fragile ego.
9
@Harold
Our president in NOT a billionaire. If he was he would have shown us his tax return....
10
@Harold no one has to pay anything. Plus, if you can afford a $5,000 or $20,000 airline ticket, you can afford to patiently wait for clear instructions.
2
Clearly some folks are making a lot of money in this crisis. (Tussin CF is selling for 4x its original price on Amazon, if you can find it at all.) Wouldn't it be really interesting if China actually did manufacture this virus to get rid of Trump. And with everyone converting stocks to cash, this would be a really bad time for bad actors in China, NKorea, and Iran to have zero day vulnerabilities in US banks to withdraw all of that cash ...
We went through almost exact same thing last night. Trump did not make it clear at all that US citizens would be exempt from the ban and we scrambled and purchased a flight back to the US. Only to find out much later that the ban didn't affect US citizens. We took the earlier flight but now the airline won't do anything for us on our original ticket home we can't use.
Really frustrated with Trump that he blindsided everyone with the ban, then was not clear at all that US citizens were not affected by it. The ban was done by Trump to make himself feel powerful and to sow panic. It worked on the latter count as you and I can attest. UGGGGHHH!!!
15
Why come back to the US, where testing is unavailable, medical care likely to be unavailable and/or very expensive, and the Administration daily demonstrates new heights of ineptitude?
130
If it’s illegal to charge exorbitant prices for things like gas or hotel rooms during a crisis, why is it okay for airlines to do so?
11
Send the bill to a Republican senator, governor, representative, or state official in your area, explaining what happened. Ask him or her how they could support a president who in a time of crisis can't even get his facts right.
18
This is so helpful.
Keep making the chaotic response real and personal -- one person, one family, one church, one junior hockey league at a time.
No need to say who is the author of the flimsy disorganized response. That's like saying "it's light outside because the sun is shining.
I hope Amendment 25 gets serious and immediate consideration, ideally led by Lindsay Graham.
10