Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Difficult to predict prices
As if trying to choose the right time to enter the stock markets, many travel consumers try to predict the right time to buy tickets and packages. By following the fluctuation of prices, they wait until the last minute or plan very far in advance to get the best.
As in the stock market, the timing strategy with the market is not the best, according to industry experts.
“There was a price hike that didn’t last long,” said Lyne Rose, president of Voyages Bergeron, over the phone. It’s always a matter of supply and demand. The suppliers raise the prices, but if the prices are too high and it doesn’t sell, it goes down. However, it’s always hard to predict when it will happen, it’s like the stock market. »
What do we advise the consumer in a context of war, rising gas prices, inflation and a pandemic?
“In this context of uncertainty, we recommend that our customers go ahead with a purchase immediately to freeze the price that interests them, to ensure availability and to have attractive rates. . Whether it’s for this summer, for the fall or next winter,” says Justin Bordeleau, co-owner and vice-president of Voyages Arc-en-ciel.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUSTIN BORDELEAU
Justin Bordeleau, co-owner and vice-president of Voyages Arc-en-ciel
Demand will likely exceed supply, as many have postponed their trip for two years.
Justin Bordeleau, co-owner and vice-president of Voyages Arc-en-ciel
“But if you book well in advance, you have to be more careful and protect yourself well,” he says.
So far, consumers have erred on the side of caution. They book at the last minute, observes Annick Guérard, President and CEO of Transat AT, during an interview with The Press. “Since all carriers give the consumer flexibility to book and make changes at the last minute, consumers take advantage of it. We look at flights in June, we saw that they are not too full, but in the last few weeks, hop hop hop, it starts in droves. »
At Sunwing, we’re not only seeing this trend of last-minute purchases for all-inclusive travel, but also for booking tropical getaways in fall 2022 and even winter 2023.
Protect your investment
When you don’t want to rely solely on the Travel Agent Customer Compensation Fund (FICAV) and its legendary slowness to get reimbursed, what are the options? If there is no pilot on the plane that was to transport us to Europe? If our destination changes its rules due to a new wave of COVID-19?
The travel credit card is a good option. Because it offers chargebacks, it has proven to be quick and efficient for many consumers whose trip was canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020. It costs $110 to $150 depending on the cardholder’s income and family.
“We are very careful in our way of supporting customers, says Justin Bordeleau, of Voyages Arc-en-ciel, on the phone. They are being asked to protect their investment with flexibility options or by reserving fare classes that allow for flexibility. »
These options cost $50 to $150 per person depending on the carrier, he explains. “It allows us to cancel our package without losing what we have invested. In the current context, we sell a lot of these formulas. »
Carriers each offer their own types of airline tickets with varying levels of coverage depending on price. “There are several grades in plane tickets and it is sure that it costs more to have all the latitudes,” launches Lyne Rose, of Voyages Bergeron, bluntly.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LYNE ROSE
Lyne Rose, President of Voyages Bergeron
In 2019, you could take the risk of buying the cheapest possible ticket even if it was still 100% non-refundable. It felt like there was less risk.
Lyne Rose, from Voyages Bergeron
A traveler wishing to make multiple connections without risk must have all flights listed at the same time on the same ticket.
“Travellers who combine small flights that are not issued together do not have protection if there is a delay on the first flight and they do not show up on the second,” underlines Justin Bordeleau.
Variable geometry flexibility
At Air Canada, the flexible cancellation and modification policy implemented during the pandemic is still in effect for all types of tickets purchased, said Pascale Déry, director of media relations, by email.
“If the airline cancels a flight or changes its schedule by more than three hours, it offers a full refund to the original method of payment, an Air Canada travel voucher or the equivalent value in Aeroplan points, to which points are adds a bonus of 65%,” she wrote.
To have full flexibility with the power to cancel your trip, the price difference is mind-boggling.
For example, at Air Canada, a non-refundable return flight from Montreal to Paris on June 14 with return on June 21 costs $903.25, a suitcase included. The same reimbursable flight with costs sells for $1995.25. The fully refundable one in economy class amounts to $3,644.25 and allows you to cancel a reservation no later than 45 minutes before departure.
At Transat, it is impossible to cancel a flight within 24 hours of departure. For a return flight from Montreal to Paris on June 14 and return on June 21, the refundable ticket with a $200 fee amounts to $977.02 with a suitcase included, while that refundable free of charge more than 24 hours before departure costs $2358.02.
Before April 21, 2022, Air Transat customers who booked a ticket at Eco Budget fares, the lowest fare without a suitcase, or Eco Standard, with a suitcase and seat selection included, did not have the option of get a refund.
At Sunwing, the regular fare does not allow free cancellation. You must opt for the flexible rate or the firm rate. “Our Worry-Free Protection Plan, available starting at $49 per person, allows customers to cancel their trip up to three hours before departure, for any reason, and receive a refund. Part of the refund may be in the form of a Sunwing travel credit, depending on the date of cancellation,” explains Marie-Josée Carrière, senior marketing director Quebec for Sunwing Travel Group, by email.
Check your insurance coverage
Before buying insurance, check to see if you have a travel credit card, such as World Elite, that covers trip cancellations due to illness or death. In this case, the purchase of the ticket at a very low price could be reimbursed without you needing to take out additional insurance from the airline or any other offered by the travel agency.
If you are the type to cancel a trip with a few hours notice for any reason, then it is better to buy the plane ticket or the package which will be reimbursed without justification.
Some travel credit cards also offer health insurance and compensate you for lost or damaged luggage. This type of insurance is also offered by different insurance companies and offered when purchasing tickets and travel packages.
As for the insurance product specifically for COVID-19, it sells much less, notes Annick Guérard, of Transat. “Apart from the United States, in all the countries where we operate, there is no longer a requirement for negative tests to travel. So now it’s at the discretion of the passenger. If the person feels more comfortable traveling with COVID-19 insurances. Travel insurance is always important, but special COVID-19 insurance, if the person is vaccinated, is at the discretion of the person. »
The pandemic is not over
Despite the relief, there are countries where the situation remains under surveillance. “There are still countries that still have special entry and exit conditions. This is still the case for most countries regarding travelers who are not adequately vaccinated, ”explains Justin Bordeleau, whose agency travel advisors remain on the lookout for the various instructions.
Travelers who have not received two doses of the vaccine cannot board a plane departing from Canada or a train.
“We have a dedicated travel requirements page at Sunwing.ca that contains up-to-date information on entry requirements by destination as well as helpful information for each leg of the trip,” says Marie-Josée Carrière, Travel Group Sunwing.
Are refunds complete?
We have settled all refunds for customers who requested them when the policy was originally announced. A small number of requests continue to come in for validity or exception reasons; we deal with them on a case-by-case basis.
Pascale Déry, Director of Media Relations at Air Canada
Except in any very special cases beyond our control, the requested refunds of travel credits related to the pandemic are made in full.
Christophe Hennebelle, Vice-President HR and Public Affairs at Transat
Customers whose eligible non-refundable reservations were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and who submitted a refund request before the deadline have been refunded.
Marie-Josée Carrière, Senior Marketing Director Quebec for Sunwing Travel Group