There should be a sign saying, “Book at your own risk!” when it comes to travel right now. Due to a rolling series of international flight restrictions into Adelaide, I have been going through a series of book, cancel, rebook, change, which is resulting in cost creep.
For various items in my itinerary, a change means an additional fee. All of this is quite normal as I am now making changes fairly close to departure. I still don’t love it though!
Here’s Some Cost Creep
A good example of cost creep is an airport hotel we’ll call the Radisson. The original booking cost me €100 for the night, which is a decent price. On first rebooking, it went up to €115, and today it has gone up to €145. I am not surprised by this, as that’s how the system works when you book closer to the date you’re travelling, but still.
Helping Out The Travel Industry
Perhaps I should justify it by realising that every little bit I give is helping out needy airlines and hotels. That I don’t really mind at all, because I’ve been trying to give airlines my cash all year and keep getting flights cancelled.
This instance is solely down to the pandemic. Where should I send my bill? The South Australian Government? Some kind of religious figure who was responsible for the creation of the world (take your pick!)? Either way, it’s cash I won’t be seeing again.
Overall Thoughts
Remember the days of making a travel booking and then not giving it a second thought until it was time to check-in? I long for those days. At the moment, the barrage of cancellations is tiring.
While doing all these changes, another set of flights booked for next year were cancelled. Another call to the airline, another refund. In actual fact, I make more telephone calls to airlines than to friends and family right now, which is a bizarre situation. Oh well, one day things will get better.
Have you been having a similar experience of cost creep on changed bookings? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Rogean James Caleffi on Unsplash.
Not related to the post itself but the story behind that 737 in the jungle seems interesting. Do you have any information on it.
Unfortunately not… I saw the image on Unsplash (the photographer is linked at the bottom of the article) and thought it was random enough for an article like this. I’m curious about it myself!
No travel yet for me but I must admit that I’m curious about the picture up top. It looks like a Guyanese mining camp/luxury goat farm.
The Guyanese mining camp is what it reminds me of as well… I think a series of Gold Rush did that for me! Hahaha – a luxury goat farm!!! Now I’d like to see that. I’d love to know where it is myself!