Please sign in to post.

Trip booked end of August-early September

Long time lurker here....and I realize no one has a crystal ball, but each of you are very knowledgeable so I thought I'd give this a shot.

We have for a long time had a family trip planned to Ireland. Two weeks, three generations, you get the idea. Tickets are booked Aer Lingus at the end of August out of Toronto to Dublin and on to Kerry. Although I would still like to go, at this point with so much up in the air with the mandatory quarantine, I am thinking it is unlikely Americans get let in. We are US residents but live closer to Toronto than any other major airport so usually use that as our home airport. Right not we can't even get in to Canada. With the EU now allowing Canadian residents to travel, I expect Ireland will at some point allow Canadian travelers with no quarantine. Therefore, I doubt Aer Lingus will cancel the flight.

So far we've paid about $3,000 out of pocket for airfare, plus about $1,000 on deposits with Airbnb. Travel insurance says no dice, no pandemic coverage. Aer Lingus will not give a refund or voucher unless the flight is canceled. We can re-book with no fee, but current booking only goes out to April 2021, and we would need to go next summer b/c of school, jobs, etc. (lot of assumptions there, I guess) We have to make that change by August 1 according to their website.

Does everyone agree that the chances of this trip actually happening are slim to none? Has anyone had any luck with getting Aer Lingus to provide a voucher even if the flight is not canceled, if there is no way we can get to the airport to get on to the flight, or if we have to quarantine for 14 days once we arrive in Ireland? Thoughts on moving the booking to April and then trying to move it again to August 2021 when that schedule opens up?

I will also accept, anticipate, and welcome advice that I am "SOL"

Posted by
11877 posts

agree that the chances of this trip actually happening are slim to none

No argument here

Hopefully someone conversant with Canadian regulation can address the airfare situation. My foggy recollection is voucher not refunds is the program for Canada. How long the voucher has to be usable is the question.

Hope your lodging deposits are the refundable type.

Posted by
759 posts

Chance of going: none.
Air Lingus refunding if the flight goes: none. Not able to get to the airport is a red herring. A choice you made, not Air Lingus. Not grounds for cancellation nor voucher. I fully understand and appreciate why the Canadian Airport was chosen in terms of ease of flight. But it does come with a risk. You are flying out of a foreign country just to get overseas. You give up a lot of rights and assume a lot of risk in doing so. Cost vs Benefit analysis. Most of the time you won, this time no.

I’d book it for as far out as you can, maybe a 1 week trip at spring break or Christmas. Highly doubtful they will let you reschedule a second time. Something you should talk to Air Lingus about their rescheduling limitations.

Posted by
28066 posts

I recall that someone on the forum was told to rebook a COVID-affected flight as far out as possible and then postpone further if necessary. I don't think that was Aer Lingus, but I would certainly try that if I had no workable alternative.

Perhaps something good will happen on the Aer Lingus policy front between now and August 1.

Posted by
4 posts

Wanted to update the thread....got an e-mail from Aer Lingus that they were putting us on a different flight the next day - a search showed that the flight we were on was no longer available for booking. Called Aer Lingus this am, was on hold for all of 4 minutes, spoke to a friendly woman who put the refund through, no problem. Fingers crossed we can go next year. Thanks everyone for your advice!

Posted by
1172 posts

Happy to read your update as there is no way that we in Canada are opening our borders to the US anytime soon.

Posted by
7937 posts

Sometimes things go much better than expected, or at least less-worse than thought. And only On Hold for 4 minutes?!? That’s a downright “win” in itself!

Buffalo Gal, hope this all works out completely for you in the end.