Booking 2021 when FCO advisory active

[BrerRemus]

I want to book flights for next year but will need to arrange travel insurance first. Can anyone advise an insurance company that will cover for Covid medical while over there.

 

[Tony]

I am told that British Airways has been working hard here https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/flights-and-holidays/travel-insurance and has a market leading product as a result. Note however that won't help you if either US borders remain closed or the FCO travel advice remains in tact and your flight still operates. If you're really keen to book now, I'd suggest looking for a deal where you only pay a small deposit. BA's flight & car packages work like that, with the balance due 3 weeks before you fly. Worst case scenario, don't pay the balance - the loss will be about the same as the excess on an insurance policy.

(Note I don't work for BA...)

 

[BrerRemus]

Brilliant, thank you

 

[gismo1554]

Virgin Atlantic work the same way (just to share options) in that if you add car hire or hotel you can book with a deposit and pay nearer the date

 

[BrerRemus]

Thank you

 

[Plague]

Similar booking flights as part of a Disney package. I assume the rules are different for packages (because ATOL?).

But ... You may find you don't get access to be able to select seats on the plane until you have paid for the flight.
(I had this with a Disney package in 2018 and paid for the flight part earlier to get that access.)

 

[Tony]

Similar booking flights as part of a Disney package. I assume the rules are different for packages (because ATOL?).

But ... You may find you don't get access to be able to select seats on the plane until you have paid for the flight.
(I had this with a Disney package in 2018 and paid for the flight part earlier to get that access.)

That's to do with the ticket actually being "issued". So I suspect with Disney package bookings the ticket isn't issued until the deposit is paid, probably because the airline will levy a fee if the passenger changes their mind. Note also that with some travel companies, you can't just walk away after paying the deposit - there can be charges on top of this, so check the terms!

With BA holidays bookings you can reserve seats once the deposit is paid, but you'll have to pay extra unless you have frequent flier status or a baby on the booking. Also note the BA balance is now due at just 3 weeks before departure, which I think is incredibly good. Given the speed at which things are changing, if you have to pay the balance at 8 or 12 weeks out, you're not really getting that much flexibility.

 

[BrerRemus]

Excellent thanks everyone

 

[Plague]

but you'll have to pay extra unless you have frequent flier status or a baby on the booking.

Or (usually/often) if you have an upgraded seat like Premium Economy.

 

[Tony]

Or (usually/often) if you have an upgraded seat like Premium Economy.

No. Only first class on BA, silver status or above, full fare or some corporate bookings (which includes some travel agencies) give free seat assignment.
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/seating/reserving-your-seat
Even 'cheap' club class tickets on BA mean paying in the region of £100 per person per flight for a reservation. Work on the basis that you won't get it for free, it'll be very expensive to book in advance - but also that BA seem incredibly sensible in this regard and a few days before departure will proactively assign family groups their seats.