Looking back on our last Business Class and cruise sales alerts makes for an Alice in Wonderland–like experience. References to Brexit, the new Emirates "H-Class" airfares (let alone our Facebook posts about Air New Zealand's proposed bunk beds in Economy Class), feel like they are from a parallel universe. Covid-19 has affected us all, and I hope you have been keeping safe and well during this difficult time.
The current state of play and emergency travel
As the Fine Travel team already works remotely, we were able to continue helping our clients as borders closed and flights were cancelled. As we move through the lockdown stages we are available to help with emergency travel and changes to existing bookings.
With domestic and international border restrictions now more settled (it was a wild time there for awhile), the major airlines have now published relatively settled schedules and they are catching up on updating their reservations systems. Most foreign airlines have temporarily stopped flying to New Zealand until June at the earliest.
For clients needing emergency flights out of New Zealand, flights are available with Air New Zealand, connecting with code share partners. We are available to research and book the current options if you, or anyone you know, needs assistance with emergency travel.
Where will we see "Green Shoots"?
With New Zealand's compulsory arrival quarantine regulations in place, and the progress we are making towards effective elimination of COVID-19, it is unlikely that we will see a softening of our inbound border restrictions until there is a vaccine, or the "smart border" proposals are implemented. So what does this mean for travel?
Domestic travel
Exploring our own backyard is already being encouraged (once we emerge from the appropriate lockdown level) and we're likely to see significant campaigns from Tourism New Zealand. This will be an interesting time for New Zealand tourism operators who will have to rebuild and potentially revisit their pricing structures for a predominantly domestic clientele.
Reduced prices and reduced international demand may make certain exclusive attractions more appealing (and available) to New Zealand travellers in the short to medium term.
South Pacific
A number of South Pacific nations have reported no COVID-19 cases, and there is no doubt a lot of families and businesses are eager to recommence travel.
Travel between New Zealand and selected South Pacific countries may provide a manageable test environment for relaxing New Zealand's border restrictions and implementing Smart Borders.
The Trans-Tasman Bubble
The concept of a Trans-Tasman Bubble caught the media's attention, and given how well Australia is also controlling COVID-19, it has a logical appeal. The Australian Tourism Minister told Australians to only expect to be travelling domestically until at least the end of this year, so winter escapes to Far North Queensland or ticking the Ghan off a bucket list may not be on the cards for 2020, but we will be monitoring this closely.
2021 UK / Europe Business Class & Premium Economy Earlybird Specials
Although we are only in April, given the pace at which this year feels like it is passing (unless you are homeschooling...) availability for peak 2021 UK / Europe travel will be upon us in no time (August 2020 for July 2021 travel for example).
We are looking forward to seeing how the airlines will approach UK / Europe 2021. Will prices be heavily discounted to stimulate demand? Or will the grounding of fleets and industry consolidation result in reduced competition, less supply and therefore higher prices.
We will be keeping our UK / Europe Business class specials page up to date with current pricing, airline flexibility policies and special offers so you can make an assessment when the time is right for you.
Will the cruise market recover?
Coverage of Diamond Princess passengers trapped in windowless inside cabins will be hard for many cruise lines to overcome. It is remarkable that all cruise ships are now in port until at least June (in most cases) and they aren't currently allowed to dock in New Zealand or Australia.
Our practical experience is that our regular cruise clients who had to cancel their cruises (or had the cruise line cancel their cruise) expressed disappointment rather than a newfound resentment for this style of travel. Many have already asked us to keep an eye out for 2021 specials and we expect there to be a particular focus on flexibility policies and being upfront with "what if" scenarios.
With many ports closed to cruise ships, close to home itineraries around New Zealand and European River Cruises may see the earliest signs of recovery in 2021 for New Zealand travellers. Small to medium premium and luxury cruise lines with higher staff to guest ratios and the resources to implement strict health protocols are likely to appeal before the mega-ships.
A quick word on IATA bonding
Over the last few weeks, we have received questions from our clients about our IATA Bonding and whether this will provide protection if an airline goes into liquidation. Unfortunately, only certain travel insurance policies provided cover for an airline's financial failure (and these policies may now have been revisited in the current environment).
IATA Bonding provides our clients with the comfort that through the regulations we comply with (such as holding client funds in a separate, audited trust account) and the IATA Bond itself, client funds are safeguarded before being paid to the airline through the IATA BSP process (or refunded in the event of a cancellation).
And finally, a thank you from us
The travel industry has not experienced anything like the last couple of months, and we are still uncertain about what lies ahead. Although it has been extremely challenging, we took great encouragement from the kind words, heartfelt expressions of gratitude and the thank you gifts.
Getting on a plane or a ship is often just the means of travel - it is not why we travel. Whether it is to visit a new grandchild, heading to a conference, expanding into a new market or ticking through a bucket list, we've enjoyed hearing the reasons that our clients will be travelling again and we look forward to working with you when the time is right.
Stay well, and we look forward to hearing from you.