Get a refund for a flight to a country that has closed its borders due to COVID-19

Question

So I booked a flight with British Airways from the United States (transferring in the UK) to Sweden months ahead of time before COVID-19 was on the radar. Sweden has now closed its borders to visitors. This, of course, means that we can't use the tickets even if the fight is still happening.

It seems like the only option the company is offering is a voucher but we don't want to accept that, we feel like there is a reasonable fear that British Airways might go bankrupt making the voucher useless, we rather just get the money back and rethink this trip for 12 to 24 months at least.

When I booked the ticket they had a 40 dollar cancellation fee but that policy now seems to be gone. I guess it just conveniently disappeared.

Do we have any right or options to get the money back, it feels a little sketchy that they can just take the money and run.

Answer 1

You had a few options, notably booking fully refundable tickets or buying a travel insurance policy. These alternatives oblige someone else to reimburse you if you find yourself unable to travel, such as due to travel restrictions resulting from an unexpected worldwide pandemic. As it is, you've chosen to bear that risk yourself, and the airline is not obligated to offer you a refund if the flight eventually occurs.

BTW, that was likely the right move. Fully refundable fares are used by business travelers who are reasonably likely to cancel; and as with any form of insurance, on average your expected payout from travel insurance is less than the cost of the policy itself. Hedging your bets with insurance is only useful if you can't afford the loss. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the cost of your plane ticket to your Swedish vacation will not make the difference between you starving and not starving. Thus, it's better for you to take the lower out-of-pocket cost and assume the risks yourself.

Accept the airline's generosity and take the voucher.