Who's going skiing and where - 2021 #postcrisis

Who's going skiing and where - 2021 #postcrisis

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Discussion

The_Doc

Original Poster:

4,881 posts

220 months

Thursday 19th March 2020
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Lost my family trip in 9 days to the French Alps. I really do feel for the resort staff and all the associated jobs in the vicinity.
This is going to be such a hit for a tourist area, and a country at large.

Sooooooooo,

Easyjet released 2021 Jan and Feb flights yesterday, and capped costs at £29.99 per flight per person.

Half term 2021, Portes du Soleil, all booked !!

Only 11 months to go !! Got to support the mountain businesses. Oh and Easyjet sold out the half term flights in about 30 minutes from NCL

CAPP0

19,569 posts

203 months

Thursday 19th March 2020
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I don't think anyone can guarantee that they will be skiing in 2021 yet!

mikeiow

5,347 posts

130 months

Thursday 19th March 2020
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CAPP0 said:
I don't think anyone can guarantee that they will be skiing in 2021 yet!
That was my thinking......bit tricky really, I'm not counting those chickens yet!

malks222

1,853 posts

139 months

Thursday 19th March 2020
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I have been really tempted to book next years holiday, to try and help the small chalet company I’ve used a few times, but feel its mega risky in case they go pop. but know that with the business that might save them from going pop!

same with a ski instructor i’ve used a few times, tempted to contact them and say- i’ll be out next season, here’s a deposit for lessons next season, hopefully help smooth some cash flow out.

but....... again- will this have blown over by next season?!?

S100HP

12,672 posts

167 months

Thursday 19th March 2020
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You will have less companies to choose from. We've all be made redundant today at my company. Also, be careful with those easyJet flights. They're in trouble. That's why they're on sale so early.

The_Doc

Original Poster:

4,881 posts

220 months

Friday 20th March 2020
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Yes I did think that the easyjet early release deal looked like a cash generating exercise.

But I still believe in supporting the ill fated tourism industry, so I'm in for a few hundred pounds for 2021.


gregs656

10,868 posts

181 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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I bought EasyJet flights to Geneva today, cheap enough that I can write it off at 60 quid return.

Dec 31 to Jan 7.

Accommodation is a family friends apartment, I have kit there already so just a ski pass which I can sort when they release them.

Flights are cheap enough that you can take a punt I reckon and iron out the details later even if you don't have accommodation sorted.

designforlife

3,734 posts

163 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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We are going to try and have a redo on our 2 week trip to Park City which was well and truly scuppered by CV19 (i am supposed to be there right now!).

I should be getting about 55% of the trip cost back in insurance so that'll go straight into the pot to pay for attempt #2.

Have to say I'm a bit paranoid about booking so far in advance again though, but it's the only way to make a snow trip to the US financially viable really.

smifffymoto

4,545 posts

205 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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gregs656 said:
I bought EasyJet flights to Geneva today, cheap enough that I can write it off at 60 quid return.

Dec 31 to Jan 7.

Accommodation is a family friends apartment, I have kit there already so just a ski pass which I can sort when they release them.

Flights are cheap enough that you can take a punt I reckon and iron out the details later even if you don't have accommodation sorted.
Will you have the same attitude to writing off £60 if you lose your job or can’t make your mortgage payments?

vtecyo

2,122 posts

129 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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Sorry to threadjack but has anyone had their trip cancelled this year and what has happened RE the cash? Our party of 6 were due to fly out yesterday - clearly we weren't going. Chalet company who shall remain anonymous for now emailed this morning basically saying the trips cancelled go through insurance.

Thought it was up to them to refund? Or even offer to rebook? Had neither of those options, just directed to insurers.

Absolutely 0 comms up until this morning which considering we booked in January is pretty shoddy IMO.


To keep it on track, assuming the world hasn't ended by 2021 we shall hopefully be going next year with the same party. Were supposed to go to La Plagne so may keep that the same.

Edited by vtecyo on Monday 23 March 11:26


Edited by vtecyo on Monday 23 March 11:26

wrencho

276 posts

65 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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We were already booked up for Easter in Chamonix before C19. Thinking about booking an easyjet flight to Geneva for January and writing it off if required for the sake of £100 for two of us...

lemmingjames

7,455 posts

204 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
quotequote all
vtecyo said:
Sorry to threadjack but has anyone had their trip cancelled this year and what has happened RE the cash? Our party of 6 were due to fly out yesterday - clearly we weren't going. Chalet company who shall remain anonymous for now emailed this morning basically saying the trips cancelled go through insurance.

Thought it was up to them to refund? Or even offer to rebook? Had neither of those options, just directed to insurers.

Absolutely 0 comms up until this morning which considering we booked in January is pretty shoddy IMO.


To keep it on track, assuming the world hasn't ended by 2021 we shall hopefully be going next year with the same party. Were supposed to go to La Plagne so may keep that the same.

Edited by vtecyo on Monday 23 March 11:26


Edited by vtecyo on Monday 23 March 11:26
Bens Bus is refunding me my unused travel, id written off this cost so nice surprise to receive an email from them.

I think my excess is £300 on the travel insurance and totting up all my costs, then im looking at £400 and cba to chase for £100

Otherwise i plan to do 2 weeks speed riding in March @ Val D, if im single then ill do a ski party week in Aspen in April. Not really a fan of spring slush skiing but the weather is generally more ameniable.


S100HP

12,672 posts

167 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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The issue is for us, that refunding all the money will wipe out the company. There are high level discussions ongoing with government about the package travel regulations and what it means for the travel industry as a whole, an update is imminent apparently.

lemmingjames

7,455 posts

204 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
quotequote all
S100HP said:
The issue is for us, that refunding all the money will wipe out the company. There are high level discussions ongoing with government about the package travel regulations and what it means for the travel industry as a whole, an update is imminent apparently.
Its the same for alot of companies i feel.

The party week lot originally said that they would refund everyone but theyve now said that they cant and its either 50% refund or postpone and attend next season so sounds like theres alot of cogs in that wheel with each having different decisions

gregs656

10,868 posts

181 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
quotequote all
smifffymoto said:
Will you have the same attitude to writing off £60 if you lose your job or can’t make your mortgage payments?
Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have said it was cheap enough that I am happy to write it off.

I would say anyone who is in work who can't afford to write off £60 needs to seriously look at their finances.


chandrew

979 posts

209 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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My guess from living in a resort - and it is a guess - is that for the hotels etc. financial security will depend to a large degree on to what degree they are dependent on the summer season, and how much cost is fixed regardless of whether they open.

Here in St. Moritz we have a strong summer tourism sector (increasing amounts of Indians and Chinese) but it's less 'jet set' than some of the winter weeks. It's a well-known fact that many of the luxury boutiques and jewellers here could open for 6 weeks a year and pay for their whole year. We had that 6 weeks before the virus closed everything. I spoke to a hotel-manager friend who said he had CHF 4 million bookings for the last few weeks but had recovered 2.5 million in cancellation fees. For this season it's bad, but not a total disaster for most. Here it was the best winter season pre-virus for a long time.

I'm living next to the Carlton hotel which is one of the five 5 star hotels we have here and doesn't bother opening for the summer. I think however it's the only hotel in town than stays closed. The Club Med hotel is rented by a Belgian firm in the summer (not club med). Most of the others would have closed in the next few weeks anyway until June so it's taken off a few quiet weeks of the season. Same for the lift company etc. Most of the winter tourism staff will have planned to work the summer in the Med.

Those resorts who don't have a decent summer probably won't be so badly hit unless (a) they are marginal in the first place - eg the low resorts, (b) they can't open next winter. A large proportion of the staff are seasonal and would have been out of contract a few weeks later anyway. Ski resorts go into total shut-down in the spring / autumn closed seasons.

I'm not for a moment saying it's not bad but it could have been much, much worse if it had happened 6 weeks earlier.

The question I think here is whether we have a summer season or not, and especially whether businesses decide to open (and therefore order stuff, organize staff etc) or not. The uncertainty of what state we'll be in July - September is the big thing. I also hear people worrying about whether they'll be able to get the staff - mostly here Italians - to do renovations in time for next winter. They certainly don't want to start if they can't finish in time.

S100HP

12,672 posts

167 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
quotequote all
lemmingjames said:
S100HP said:
The issue is for us, that refunding all the money will wipe out the company. There are high level discussions ongoing with government about the package travel regulations and what it means for the travel industry as a whole, an update is imminent apparently.
Its the same for alot of companies i feel.

The party week lot originally said that they would refund everyone but theyve now said that they cant and its either 50% refund or postpone and attend next season so sounds like theres alot of cogs in that wheel with each having different decisions
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/package-holiday-refund-rules-suspended-abta-coronavirus-a9417261.html

Speed 3

4,538 posts

119 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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We booked half term in Samoens a few weeks ago (demand was mental at the time and mostly v.expensive) for a chalet through HomeAway. Sum paid so far is fully refundable until January providing HomeAway don't go bust, not sure what that risk is as most of the price is due to the property owners. It was paid on credit card so don't where we'd stand in that event. I've now lost all of my work through to the end of this year, unlikely to get any more (aviation consulting). We'll look at it in a couple of months and make a decision then, particularly when the Eurotunnel crossings go on sale. We're also in for a villa in Cyprus through HA in July, will be interesting to see what happens there as we're probably going to have to make the final payment before we know if the easyJet flights are going ahead.

Carbon Sasquatch

4,630 posts

64 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
quotequote all
S100HP said:
Also, be careful with those easyJet flights. They're in trouble. That's why they're on sale so early.
It's not particularly early for EasyJet - about their normal timing for release isn't it ?

I've booked up for the winter season through until end Feb - so fingers crossed.....

I'm sure they are in some trouble, but can't be any worse than any other airline - unless you're going to let the entire sector go to the wall, they surely have to be too big to fail...... I'm not holding my breath that I'll ever use my Virgin miles though

In answer to the original question - Andorra - wife for the season - me every weekend - normal routine smile

Amateurish

7,727 posts

222 months

Monday 23rd March 2020
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I just booked Feb Half Term flights to Geneva with Easyjet, about a tenth of the normal price. If they go tits up, credit card will cover it.