Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston, Hanover: haircuts, availability, climbing)

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Denver-Boston nonstop is $99 on Southwest on the unpopular midweek days.

Prices are low, but still up from peak panic. I booked 3 round trip tickets to Chicago for less than $170 back in March. Whether or not AAL is still solvent by EoY is the question ...

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I'm seeing a lot of good deals on both. The fares to Florida I was looking at were around $100 round trip on a major carrier (not some bait/switch fare on Spirit or Frontier). LA was as low as $114 for August. SF around $200. So I'm not sure how people are missing them, probably just really rigid on dates.

The international stuff makes me nervous right now because it really depends on what restrictions look like at the time of travel. But yeah, I'm seeing Ireland, Spain, France, England, and the Azores for under $300 in the fall. Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Iceland, and all of Scandinavia for under $400 in the fall. Great deals. I'd just worry that if there's another spike in cases, you may end up eating that money.

International is pretty cheap now because few want to take the chance. I won't travel internationally again until/if there's a vaccine or really good treatment if you get sick. And also the stress of having to try to get your money back--I went through that recently because we had booked a flight to England for early May and it was cancelled. I wouldn't have gone anyway so was glad it was cancelled.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by NewfieMama

Did anybody here cancel a vacation that they were planning to take this year?

Two so far. A convention in August was canceled. We we're going to go to Montreal over 7/4 long weekend, but it looks like the border will still be closed, and we aren't going to quarantine for two weeks.

I did spend the first week of March in Amsterdam, just barely missing any nastiness on my trip.

[NewfieMama]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Prices are low, but still up from peak panic. I booked 3 round trip tickets to Chicago for less than $170 back in March. Whether or not AAL is still solvent by EoY is the question ...

I saw some friends posting about $20 fares from Logan to Vegas back in April. I joked that I was going to book it just for some time to myself.

[NewfieMama]

Sorry about everybody's cancelled vacation plans. I feel bad for anybody who had a big trip planned, anybody who was planning a wedding or really any major life event planned for this summer. I have several family members having babies and it's stressful for them (spouse can't be at ultrasounds, have to be induced per hospital's orders, etc.)

I have another question: how many towns have announced school budget cuts? I feel like the next thing coming our way. Our school has not announced anything, but a neighboring town (Hanover) just announced that 36 teachers were let go yesterday.

Will this affect every district?

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

Two so far. A convention in August was canceled. We we're going to go to Montreal over 7/4 long weekend, but it looks like the border will still be closed, and we aren't going to quarantine for two weeks.

I did spend the first week of March in Amsterdam, just barely missing any nastiness on my trip.

Same here. A late March trip to the Bay Area was canceled, as was a May trip to London.

We managed a good burst at the start of the year - end of January we were in London, mid-Feb in Paris, and we spent the first week of March in Kansas City with family. Our flight back on 3/8 seemed normal. Amazing what a difference a week later was. I don't envy what it must have been like getting back from Amsterdam.

Originally Posted by NewfieMama

Sorry about everybody's cancelled vacation plans. I feel bad for anybody who had a big trip planned, anybody who was planning a wedding or really any major life event planned for this summer. I have several family members having babies and it's stressful for them (spouse can't be at ultrasounds, have to be induced per hospital's orders, etc.)

Eh, it happens. We were able to get refunds and we're looking forward to future travel. I feel reallllly bad for people who had to postpone weddings (we had three scheduled for this summer/September that were all canceled) or a big life event. And graduations and/or starting college. They really got robbed.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

My co-op from Northeastern also informed me they are planning on having on-campus learning and housing in the fall as well

That’s good to hear. Northeastern has been pretty consistent that this was their goal. I am pretty impressed by BU’s plan. Surely things will change between now and the fall, but they are going to be more able to pivot since they have a good beginning foundation.

Harvard meanwhile is still waffling about what to do and how to do it.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

What is air travel like these days anyway? Are masks required?

Masks are required. However, I was shocked earlier this week when a neighbor who just travelled back from Florida told me their flight was completely full, every seat including middles. I didn’t even think that was allowed. I think I would have walked off the plane and drove.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by NewfieMama

(Hanover) just announced that 36 teachers were let go yesterday.

I believe a lot of these are temporary cuts and the positions will be brought back IF schools open in the fall.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Masks are required. However, I was shocked earlier this week when a neighbor who just travelled back from Florida told me their flight was completely full, every seat including middles. I didn’t even think that was allowed. I think I would have walked off the plane and drove.

A friend of mine flew Jet Blue from Orlando to Boston a couple of weeks ago. She got multiple emails that masks were required and so forth, some middles empty, others not. Not everyone wore masks, that's for sure. It's theater, not law.