Can I cancel my holiday if I’m worried about coronavirus? Your rights explained
THOUSANDS of Brits' holidays have been threatened by coronavirus with airlines such as British Airways cancelling some flights to affected regions.
But your holiday rights depend on where you're travelling to, what type of trip you've booked, and what cover you have in place.
Here's what you need to know - plus, check out our coronavirus (COVID-19) live blog for all the latest updates.
Travelling to an FCO at-risk area - you should get a refund
The UK's has advised against all travel to Hubei Province in China, and against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China.
It's also warned against all but essential travel to the cities of Daegu and Cheongdo in South Korea, as well as to ten small towns in the Lombardy region of northern Italy and one in the Veneto region of Italy.
Areas the FCO has advised not to travel to
Here are the regions the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised against travelling to due to coronavirus:
China
- All of mainland China
Italy
- Bertonico
- Casalpusterlengo
- Castelgerundo
- Castiglione d’Adda
- Codogno
- Fombio
- Maleo
- San Fiorano
- Somaglia
- Terranova dei Passerini
- Vo’ Euganeo
South Korea
- Cheongdo
- Daegu
In this instance, firms aren't legally obliged to refund you for travel, accommodation and other associated costs but they should get in touch to discuss your options.
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) says in this scenario, it expects all of its members to offer customers who are due to travel imminently - for example, within 48 hours - either an equivalent alternative holiday or a full refund of all money paid.
If you're offered an alternative holiday you don't want to go on, you're not obliged to accept it and can instead get a full refund.
But ABTA warns that others travelling further in advance will have to wait till closer to their trip to see if FCO advice changes.
If you've got travel insurance, also check to see whether it covers for trip cancellation - see our travel insurance guide for more on this.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says policies may cover some out-of-pocket losses, while they may also be able to cover costs if you're already in an affected area.
In addition, if you make alternative travel plans you may be able to transfer your insurance to cover your new destination.
Travel against the FCO's advice, and you risk invalidating your insurance. If you're unsure about what qualifies as "essential travel", talk to your provider.
With flights specifically, if your flight departs from a UK or EU airport or you're on an EU carrier landing at a UK or EU airport, you have rights under EU rules.
Here, you're entitled to a full refund or alternative flight if it's cancelled - regardless of the cause.
British Airways, for example, has cancelled dozens of flights to Milan due to lack of demand.
Travelling to an FCO at-risk area - you're unlikely to get compensation on top
If your trip or flights are cancelled because you're travelling to an FCO at-risk area, ABTA says you're unlikely to get any compensation on top of a refund because coronavirus is what's known as an extraordinary circumstance.
This means it's not something the travel provider could mitigate for or plan against.
Neither can you claim under the ATOL scheme as this only protects holidaymakers when package travel providers go bust.
The same goes for flight compensation, as EU rules state that airlines don't have to pay out compensation for disruption caused by so-called "acts of god".
Not travelling to an FCO at-risk area - you're unlikely to get your money back
Where there's no FCO advice against travel, if you cancel your booking, whether you're refunded is down to the mercy of your provider - and you may well be charged cancellation fees on top too.
Speak to your provider to find out its terms and conditions and for its latest advice.
British Airways, for example, is allowing flights to Hong Kong up until May 31 to be re-booked to the same destination at a later date.
While customers booked to travel between London and the Italian towns of Milan (Linate and Malpensa), Turin, Bologna, Venice, Bergamo and Verona up to March 2 can rebook to a later travel date up to March 31.
Of course, this doesn't help those who no longer want or need to travel, and it doesn't help those with separate accommodation or car hire booked.
Although as outlined above, if you're on an EU flight that is cancelled you are entitled to a refund or alternative flight under EU rules - regardless of the cause of the disruption.
Sadly, even if you have travel insurance it's unlikely to pay out simply because you don't want to travel.
More on coronavirus
The ABI says travel insurance is "not designed to cover disinclination to travel".
In fact, only one in ten insurance policies will refund the money, according to comparison site TravelInsurance.com.
But consumer group Which? points out that if you have a pre-existing medical condition, which means you're at greater risk from coronavirus, you may be able to cancel and claim on your travel insurance based on advice from your doctor.