I'll be out $1200 if policies don't change or I can't convince them to give me a break. $300 flight cancellation fee+$900 6-night hotel stay. Can I afford it? Yes, but it would break my damn heart. This was a dream trip for me.
I'm right there right you, my friend. Been dreaming of going to Japan since I was a kid and seeing this opportunity get crushed because of a virus (of all the times for it to happen, it happens now) is heartbreaking. I know I'll have other chances in life, but this was a moment where I was able to afford it because of a great bonus they I earned at work and was able to do this trip. I just hope these airlines allow us to delay them until later this year for no cost, but I'm feeling like they won't budget.
You can try contacting them to see if they can reschedule the flight I suppose? Cite the coronavirus. AFAIK right now most flights only give free refund/ reschedule for the flights to Wuhan/ China, but if the cases get worse in Japan you may have a case. They may yet to change the policy.
Luckily for my upcoming May trip all the accomodation I've booked so far are free to cancel so I'm not too worried yet. Although my tickets are non refundable :\
Absolutely. I will be waiting until late minute before I reach out and cancel, as it's almost guaranteed at this point for Japan to have it spread all over due to the recent news. The travel industry has to adapt to this, or there will be a huge amount of pissed off people.