What's the best way to book a birthday trip to New York?

Q My son turns 18 early next year and I want to buy him a present of a trip to New York with a friend next summer. We aren’t sure who he’d want to take. Do we have to give a name for the second person, or can you buy a lead name and fill in the second one later? And do you have any recommendations of who does a good five-day NYC package?

Name supplied

A What a kind and generous present. But I strongly advise that at this stage you create a personalised gift certificate, valid for a five-day trip to New York, that he can redeem with you nearer the time.

With no clear sense what flights will be operating next summer, I certainly don’t advise you to commit until perhaps six weeks ahead. While the chances of financial loss are eliminated if you book a proper package holiday, I fear that to book now could be a cause of regret on one of several fronts.

The trip might be awkwardly adjusted. If, for example, either the outbound or inbound flights are cancelled, he could be switched to a less appropriate departure. You could find that new flights are announced at better timings or lower fares. Accommodation rates, too, are volatile and I think there may be bargains nearer the time. Or it could be cancelled altogether. The shorter the time between booking and departure, the less that can go wrong.

For a booking like this I would seek options from a local, human travel agent and compare it with what British Airways Holidays and Virgin Holidays are offering online.

To answer your specific question: “Do we have to give a name for the second person or can you buy a lead name and fill in the second one later?” While there is a clause in the Package Travel Regulations that confers the right to change a name on a flight-plus-accommodation booking from Mr X to Ms Y, it requires a fee of £50 upwards and could meet with resistance by the provider. Far better to wait until things are clearer.

Finally, to be kind to your wallet and your son, I strongly recommend a trip as late as possible – ideally, depending on education/work obligations, late September. The sometimes oppressive summer heat in Manhattan will have eased, the crowds will have dissipated and air fares should be lower.

Q I’ve just had my British Airways flight from Gatwick to St Lucia on 5 December cancelled. Any idea why are they cancelling flights outside the current lockdown period?

Steven B

A I speculate that the reason for the decision can be summed up in one word: despair.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have endured the worst year in their histories. They had hoped that eased travel restrictions to and from the Caribbean would allow them a decent few months flying holiday-starved Brits to St Lucia, Antigua, Barbados and other islands. But last weekend’s sudden announcement of a second lockdown in England means that the vast majority of booked customers are not allowed to travel between 5 November and 2 December. Along with other airlines, British Airways has cancelled hundreds of flights between now and the end of lockdown. BA is having to keep flying almost empty planes out to the Caribbean for a few more days to bring people back; its last inbound from St Lucia is on 11 November. The Gatwick base will then be closing.

In principle British Airways could start flying from the Sussex airport again on 3 December. But because early December is always low season, it makes sense for BA to keep its aircraft grounded a little longer. After all, the first departures that go out are likely to come back almost empty because there will be nobody who is currently on holiday on the island. So the airline will not resume services until 11 December, when (BA hopes) pre-Christmas demand will start building.

If you still wish to travel on 5 December, the European passenger rights rules are theoretically on your side: you have the right to insist that the airline finds the closest available option for you. But in practice the only options are likely to be via the US, which is currently closed to British visitors.

Given the huge uncertainties for life in general and the world of travel in particular, I would simply wait to see what options present themselves nearer your intended departure date. You may, for example, find that you are able to travel to Egypt, South Africa or some other alluring winter-sun destination. I understand that many people like to be clear about where they are going and when. But I also predict that in early December you will be able to pick up a very reasonable deal up to the day before departure. And if I am wrong, that is likely to be because the coronavirus crisis has taken a turn for the worse.

Q All flights from Denmark to the UK are now cancelled, so British citizens are stranded in Denmark. I have tweeted the Foreign Office (@FCDOtravelGovUK) travel advice to ask how they are supposed to get home, but no reply. Do you know?

JLB

A As from 4am on Sunday, direct flights between Denmark and England are banned until further notice. Similar bans from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are likely to be put in place imminently. The overnight move was made in response to fears about a new coronavirus mutation from mink bred at Danish farms transmitting to humans.

It follows the UK government’s sudden decision early on Friday to place Denmark on the no-go list, with 14 days of self-isolation for arriving travellers. Then early on Saturday the government announced entry from Denmark would be denied to non-British citizens or permanent residents, and extended quarantine to every member of the household – even if they were travelling for professional purposes, eg pilots and cabin crew operating a flight. It is an unprecedented ban, and led to all flights being cancelled until further notice (though SAS, oddly, is still selling tickets from Copenhagen to London Heathrow as though nothing has happened, and Ryanair is taking bookings for a departure from Copenhagen to Stansted as early as next Thursday).

Fortunately the UK’s action is not matched by other countries, and so it is a simple matter of booking flights via an intermediate point. If you are prepared to self-connect – ie buy two separate flights and collect your bags and check them in again at the halfway point – then Ryanair definitely offers the best value. Flights via Dublin to a range of British cities this week are as low as £20-£30. You are currently allowed to transit via the Irish capital en route to the UK.

For a smoother journey, though, consider one of the traditional hub airports: Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris CDG. This is likely to cost around 10 times as much. As long as you remain “airside”, each country’s travel restrictions are not relevant.

When you arrive back in the UK, you must provide a passenger locator form declaring that you have been in Denmark in the past 14 days. Then go straight home to quarantine – along with the rest of your household – for two weeks.

Email your questions to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder