Of course we like to think OUR website is the one website every traveler needs right now, but it turns out there is another one… that’s perhaps just a little more important.
As the world looks to slowly re-open, one of the next steps will be the gradual lifting of travel bans. So it’s quite possible in the foreseeable future that you could once again get on a plane and fly across a border, for business or pleasure. But it’s going to be complex, imperfect, messy and fraught with uncertainty. That’s why this site is so important.
The International Air Transport Association or IATA is s the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 82% of total air traffic. So they know a thing or two about air travel. And they’ve put together an indispensable website to track the latest in travel bans, restrictions, requirements and other facts you’ll need to know before booking a ticket and actually getting on a plane. Click here to explore all of the tools.
The data is updated very frequently and is quite accurate. However air travel is a very fluid situation right now.
In light of how many unknowns there still are about global travel, before finalizing ANY plans you should also check your own country’s advice on travel to your destination country and the destination country’s website for their most up-to-date travel rules and regulations.
Airlines recognize how confusing international customs and immigration rules are right now and so most are offering very flexible change or cancellation rules on tickets, but you’ll still need to thoroughly research your trip if you plan on flying this summer. In fact, even if you’re flying domestically, you’re going to need to do a lot of homework because things have changed dramatically.
As another word of caution, governments can and have changed their entry rules without notice so this is definitely a time when you need to prepare for anything. For instance, it’s possible that your destination country bans flights from your country or entry from people from your country. It’s also possible that they ban flights from countries where you may be changing planes. As well, there are no guarantees they’ll allow outbound flights when it is time to return, or that your country will let you back in, unless you’re a citizen. And even then, you may face 14-day quarantine rules in the country you’re visiting and when returning home.
All that said, we are very hopeful that things will stabilize over the summer, more normal flight routes and schedules will resume, travel bans will be successively lessened and we’ll all be able to start traveling again. Time will tell, but we hope it tells a story of renewed travel, health and as little turbulence as possible.
