On Travel

Not Nice: Life under the coronavirus lockdown in France

Like other coronavirus lockdowns, France’s happened in slow motion. First, the museums closed. Then, about two weeks later, they shuttered the cafés and restaurants. And a week after that, authorities blocked access to the beach.

Today, Nice looks like it’s in a dystopian science fiction movie. The streets of this resort town on the French Riviera are virtually empty. There are police checkpoints around every corner and an 8 p.m. curfew.

Across Europe, cities like Nice have all but closed in an effort to contain the coronavirus. Their experiences offer a sobering preview of what may happen in the United States as the virus continues to spread.
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The Navigator

Is my travel company about to go out of business? Here’s how to tell.

Want to know if your travel company is about to go out of business? Then remember Amoma. And Thomas Cook. And WOW Air.

As travelers cautiously look ahead to their next trip, worried about the financial future of their chosen airline, cruise line or hotel, they’re smart to recall the lessons of past business cessations.

Eddie Morgan won’t forget Amoma, the Geneva-based online travel agency. He paid the company $1,230 for a room at the Hotel Anglo Americano Rome, a historic property near the center of the Italian capital. But when he tried to check in last September, a representative told him that he didn’t have a reservation.

“We had to pay for our rooms again,” says Morgan, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
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On Travel

Did coronavirus just kill frequent flier programs?

Did coronavirus just kill frequent flier programs? If you ask someone like Joan Skerritt, the answer is “yes.”

Last week, she asked United Airlines to refund an award ticket she’d booked for her daughter to Europe next month. The airline demanded a $125 fee to return the miles.

“United is penalizing its most loyal customers,” says Skerritt, a grant writer from Oak Hill, Va.

It’s hardly an isolated complaint. I’ve received a barrage of them from frequent travelers since the coronavirus crisis began. They want refunds but aren’t getting them.
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