Egypt Meets Thread

[CaliKris]

We noticed new trips added the last week in February. We booked Sept. 15th and the vacationista said it was a brand new trip just added.

 

[Cousin Orville]

We noticed new trips added the last week in February. We booked Sept. 15th and the vacationista said it was a brand new trip just added.

Maybe due to demand or possibly rebooking guests previously booked on a China or Italy ABD?

 

[acndis]

We are flying through Europe when we leave in June (no other way to get to Cairo). Anyone on an earlier trip dealing with what to do about this? We are PIF but my inkling is that no trips will go this summer. I am glad we have a few months to wait and see.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Read on FB they canceled April Egypt trip.

 

[lovetotravel]

Read on FB they canceled April Egypt trip.

Disappointing, but an appropriate call. Hopefully they got a refund or moved to a new date.

 

[lovetotravel]

We are flying through Europe when we leave in June (no other way to get to Cairo). Anyone on an earlier trip dealing with what to do about this? We are PIF but my inkling is that no trips will go this summer. I am glad we have a few months to wait and see.

IF there is an earlier trip. I know for Asia, I ran out of options to not layover in China, S Korea, or Japan, hence I cancelled my trip. Hopefully there are better layover options such as UK, at least for now...who knows in June, it will either be good or really bad.

 

[couture1]

We are on Jun 2-11, myself, my husband and daughter (will be 12). We really wanted christmas but are just happy we got in. We will do a pre day too and want some options.

Hi
We are also booked for this trip. Sadly we were informed that our flights were cancelled today. Not quite sure what to do. So sad.

 

[lovetotravel]

Hi
We are also booked for this trip. Sadly we were informed that our flights were cancelled today. Not quite sure what to do. So sad.

I think ABD would still require guests to make it to the destination?
What airline?

 

[2-pointdoe]

Our flights with Delta still show up - we fly out may 30th. We booked through ABD.

Hi
We are also booked for this trip. Sadly we were informed that our flights were cancelled today. Not quite sure what to do. So sad.

 

[lovetotravel]

Our flights with Delta still show up - we fly out may 30th. We booked through ABD.

What options were you offered? Are you rebooking another flight, moving your trip, or perhaps waiting for an ABD refund when/if they cancel June? If they don't cancel June, I would think they would still require you to arrive for the tour.

 

[2-pointdoe]

No offers and our flight still stands as good. As a family we decided to wait it out and if the trip goes we will plan to go. I have not contacted our private tours yet to ask about refunds because I am still hoping this all dies down before then. I don't know if we will go for a refund or rebook.

What options were you offered? Are you rebooking another flight, moving your trip, or perhaps waiting for an ABD refund when/if they cancel June? If they don't cancel June, I would think they would still require you to arrive for the tour.

 

[couture1]

I think ABD would still require guests to make it to the destination?
What airline?

Emirates. I requested a refund and they are offering $140 per ticket refund for a $4200 original price per ticket. Over $2600 per ticket in cancelation fee. Can you imagine? We didn't even cancel. They did!

 

[couture1]

What options were you offered? Are you rebooking another flight, moving your trip, or perhaps waiting for an ABD refund when/if they cancel June? If they don't cancel June, I would think they would still require you to arrive for the tour.

So our Egypt ABD starts June 5. I'm thinking ABD will cancel, how could they not? I'm hoping they will fully refund. I'm not sure why they are waiting.

The Emirates flights were outright cancelled. We were offered 1 year travel vouchers, but since the tickets were expensive I am very angry. Cash refund was offered $140 per ticket (our cost was $4200 per ticket). Emirates is saying there is a high refund/cancellation fee and some taxes which are not reflected on the booking invoice. I have initiated a complaint, disputed the cost with American Express, and a complaint to the US Dept of Transportation. Not sure what else to do.

 

[lovetotravel]

Emirates. I requested a refund and they are offering $140 per ticket refund for a $4200 original price per ticket. Over $2600 per ticket in cancelation fee. Can you imagine? We didn't even cancel. They did!

I am so sorry about how Emirates is handling cancellations. Can you ask your credit card for a dispute? I would really book with ABD air in the future if I had upcoming trips. It seems to be the least risk to book with them and best chance for a full refund if ABD cancels a trip.

From Emirates website:

• Flight cancellation: Flights cancelled by Emirates are eligible for Rebooking and Travel Voucher options:
• Travel voucher for ticket value with a validity of 12 months from date of issue.
• Customers with flight bookings for travel on or before 30 June 2020 can rebook their flights to any Emirates destination within the same region without a rebooking fee or paying any fare difference.

Emirates regions are: Africa; Australasia; Europe; Far East; Gulf, Middle East and Iran; Indian Ocean Islands; North America; South America; West Asia

Customers who booked directly with Emirates can visit the Travel Voucher webpage. Customers who booked with a travel agent must contact them for further assistance with their bookings.

 

[lovetotravel]

So our Egypt ABD starts June 5. I'm thinking ABD will cancel, how could they not? I'm hoping they will fully refund. I'm not sure why they are waiting.

The Emirates flights were outright cancelled. We were offered 1 year travel vouchers, but since the tickets were expensive I am very angry. Cash refund was offered $140 per ticket (our cost was $4200 per ticket). Emirates is saying there is a high refund/cancellation fee and some taxes which are not reflected on the booking invoice. I have initiated a complaint, disputed the cost with American Express, and a complaint to the US Dept of Transportation. Not sure what else to do.

This applies to Emirates since they fly in the US according to this article you are entitled to a refund:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattpe...se-of-covid-19-government-warns/#1524014a6bb0
Here is the official notice from US Dept of Transportation:
https://www.transportation.gov/brie...orcement-notice-clarifying-air-carrier-refundhttps://www.transportation.gov/site...4/Enforcement Notice Final April 3 2020_0.pdf
Airlines must fully refund airfare to passengers whose flights have been canceled during the outbreak of Covid-19, the U.S. Transportation Department ordered on Friday.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-to-pay-refunds-for-flights-canceled-by-virus

 

[couture1]

This applies to Emirates since they fly in the US according to this article you are entitled to a refund:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattpe...se-of-covid-19-government-warns/#1524014a6bb0
Here is the official notice from US Dept of Transportation:
https://www.transportation.gov/brie...orcement-notice-clarifying-air-carrier-refundhttps://www.transportation.gov/site...4/Enforcement Notice Final April 3 2020_0.pdf
Airlines must fully refund airfare to passengers whose flights have been canceled during the outbreak of Covid-19, the U.S. Transportation Department ordered on Friday.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-to-pay-refunds-for-flights-canceled-by-virus

Yes, I filed complaint with DOT and AMEX and just got word from Emirates today that they are fully refunding the tickets!
The strange thing is that ABD still has not cancelled the June 2 Egypt departure. So not sure what to do next

 

[lovetotravel]

Congrats on your full Emirates refund!
If the trip is happening, you will fall under the policy for cancellation penalty. I would think ABD would require you to still find a way to get there with another airline even though Emirates cancelled the flight. If ABD cancels, obviously you would get your full refund for the trip. The least risky way to rebook a flight is through ABD air so that you will get a full refund with the airfare refund if ABD cancels. But I'm like you, I would hesitate to book flights, although airlines like Delta have a very flexible policy for purchasing airfare right now.

 

[Grifdog22]

Yes, I filed complaint with DOT and AMEX and just got word from Emirates today that they are fully refunding the tickets!
The strange thing is that ABD still has not cancelled the June 2 Egypt departure. So not sure what to do next

Delta and Air France codeshare, and we are using them for this trip in October - and they have been easy to work with on cancellations - and again if you book through ABD air and ABD cancels the trip, they refund the air. I once had the airline cancel my flight and ABD rebooked it and called to make sure the minor adjustments were okay - they took care of all of it before I even knew their was a problem.

 

[lovetotravel]

Delta and Air France codeshare, and we are using them for this trip in October - and they have been easy to work with on cancellations - and again if you book through ABD air and ABD cancels the trip, they refund the air. I once had the airline cancel my flight and ABD rebooked it and called to make sure the minor adjustments were okay - they took care of all of it before I even knew their was a problem.

Agree. I would consider loosing extra booking points with my CC just to have the assurance that ABD would refund my air during a cancellation by ABD or airline. I have never really considered this before, but now recommend it during these uncertain times. If I could go back, I would book my PIF with ABD air.

 

[sayhello]

Agree. I would consider loosing extra booking points with my CC just to have the assurance that ABD would refund my air during a cancellation by ABD or airline. I have never really considered this before, but now recommend it during these uncertain times. If I could go back, I would book my PIF with ABD air.

Yes, this puts a new spin on the whole "book your air through ABD or not" question. Prior to this pandemic, ABD cancelling a trip meant that I would want to rebook to another departure or another trip. Canceling altogether wasn't a consideration. If ABD cancels, and you rebook, and you didn't book your airfare through ABD, ABD covers the rebooking fees. So the decision was really just about it being a more convenient thing to let ABD handle the airfare, because you didn't have to pay the rebooking fees and then get reimbursed.

But now that's all changed. In this case, which I never would have forseen, I don't want to rebook either the ABD or the flight. So not having booked the air through ABD became an issue as far as any refund is concerned. That's a game changer. Definitely something I'll keep in mind going forward.

Sayhello