Reader question: Return flights from Bangkok to Europe

yesterday i have brought forward my return flight to amsterdam from april 10 to tomorrow march 17. Today March 16 was already full.
(this due to the death of my father (C19) last Sunday.)
Was arranged with KLM within 45 minutes, and no additional costs.

KLM has announced via a press release that all their flights can be rebooked free of charge. This is a current message from 12-03-2020

Cancel individual airline tickets
Have you only booked a plane ticket? Without cancellation cover, you can usually only cancel or change expensive, flexible tickets for free. With cheap tickets you usually lose your money. Airlines deal with this differently, so ask what the policy is. In the event of cancellations due to the corona virus, airlines are sometimes flexible, such as KLM.

You can reclaim airport tax after cancellation, which is especially useful for expensive tickets. You are sometimes also entitled to a refund if a flight is canceled for reasons other than a virus outbreak (Flight Claim Service).

Many airlines are adjusting their flight schedules and canceling flights. Also due to the fact that many people postpone their trip and there are fewer bookings to various destinations.

Flight cancellation due to coronavirus / no negative travel advice
If your flight is canceled by the airline, you are entitled to a refund of the ticket price. This applies if the flight falls under the criteria of Regulation 261/2004. If the airline cancels your flight for an area for which no negative travel advice applies, you are entitled to a full refund of the ticket price, including compensation for the loss of time. The right to compensation lapses if you have been informed about the cancellation more than 2 weeks before departure.

Flight cancellation due to coronavirus / negative travel advice
Has your flight been canceled by the airline because of the corona virus and because of a negative travel advice for your destination? Then you will get the ticket price back, but you are not entitled to compensation for the loss of time.

Virus outbreak during a trip
The ANVR (General Dutch Association of Travel Agencies) does not reimburse overnight stays if you have to stay at your destination due to an illness such as the corona virus.

Note: fee has changed
The ANVR first indicated that the travel organization will in any case reimburse the first 3 nights. But this was adjusted at the beginning of March. Travelers are 'not' entitled to 3 free nights if they have to stay longer because, for example, the hotel has been quarantined.

A travel organization must - where possible - provide travelers with help and assistance and, in case of code red, also repatriate travelers if possible (arrange a return journey). The law states that you are only entitled to those 3 free nights if the return journey itself cannot take place. For example, because the plane cannot leave due to a volcanic eruption. This concerns 3 nights after the end of the regular holiday, if it is not possible to travel back.

Longer (compulsory) stay and travel insurance
The traveler therefore pays the costs for (mandatory) longer stays, such as due to quarantine. Ask the travel organization for advice. The extra travel and accommodation costs and telephone costs may be covered by the travel insurance, but often up to a certain maximum.

However, most travel insurers do not reimburse for (preventive) quarantine. Check with your travel insurer and check the policy conditions. If you are now traveling to a risk area, there is a chance that you are not insured.

Return journey (repatriation)
If you have to return to the Netherlands (repatriation) because of a 'medical accident' or illness, the travel insurance will cover this. Contact your travel insurer if you want to return without a direct medical reason (preventive repatriation).

Read the questions and answers about the coronavirus on the website of the Dutch Association of Insurers.

Before you travel: check the travel advice
Before you travel, check whether there are any risks in the destination country and what the travel advice is. You can find this information on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the Foreign Affairs travel app.

You can see current information and developments per country. You will also find everything about security threats in certain areas. This is indicated by color codes:

Green: no particular security risks
Yellow: Attention, security risks
Orange: only necessary travel
Red: do not travel
Travel advice is not binding. You are responsible for the choice whether or not to travel.

Code red or orange
If the travel organization cancels the trip itself due to a virus outbreak such as corona (as with code red), you will get your money back. The trip can also be adjusted or rebooked in consultation. Have you booked with an ANVR travel organization and would you depart until at least April 3, 2020 to an area that is currently subject to red travel advice? Then you can cancel free of charge according to the ANVR.

For a destination with the color orange, you can contact the travel organization to find out whether the trip will continue, must be adjusted or canceled.

Cancel trip via the travel organization
Cancel the trip yourself
The law says that you can cancel a package holiday free of charge if there is an unsafe situation at the travel destination. Or a danger to your health, such as the outbreak of a serious illness. There must be 'unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances' (force majeure) with significant consequences for the trip. Then you can reclaim your travel money from the travel organization. Because of force majeure, you are not entitled to compensation for extra costs.

You must also be able to demonstrate that your destination is not safe enough to go to. Is this not the case according to the travel organization? Then you are dependent on the contract conditions for canceling or changing the trip. Usually you pay cancellation costs.

If you have booked a hotel stay or flight yourself, then you are dependent on the airline or hotel for the conditions for changing or canceling. There may be coverage through the travel or cancellation insurance.

Cancel out of fear / feeling unsafe
If you do not want to travel because it feels unsafe, you are not entitled to compensation through the travel organization. Fear is not a 'valid' reason to cancel the trip free of charge. In some cases there is coverage through the cancellation insurance.

The journey is cancelled
Travel organization cancels the trip
The travel organization can also cancel the trip due to extraordinary circumstances or adjust the trip. If it concerns a substantial change, you do not have to agree to it. The travel organization can then cancel the trip. You are then entitled to a refund of the travel sum.

In addition, a tour operator is obliged to provide help and assistance if a traveler is in difficulties.

Frequently asked questions on the ANVR website
Entry ban
Are you unable to enter the country because of the corona virus and is there an entry ban, as the US has now announced for various European countries, including the Netherlands? Then the costs may be placed with you as a traveler. The ANVR says the following about this:

'Countries that have introduced an entry ban for travelers from the Netherlands effectively make traveling to that destination impossible.
But if the package tour can actually be carried out by the tour operator from its side (flight, hotel and any other components of the package are available and theoretically feasible), but the destination denies entry, does not issue a visa or otherwise. In that case, the fact that in the end the trip cannot practically be made is not within the sphere of influence of the tour operator. This means that the traveler cannot cancel the trip free of charge and is therefore not entitled to a refund from the tour operator.'

Entry ban and cancellation insurance
An extensive (all-risk) cancellation insurance may offer coverage if the travel organization or airline does not reimburse. Check this with your insurer.

For example, Aegon does cover cancellation or rebooking if you:

have all-risk cover
booked a trip to the United States before March 12, 2020
and the departure date is before April 14 this year
ANWB also reports that if the travel organization or tour operator does not reimburse anything in the event of an entry ban, there is 'possible' coverage on the cancellation insurance.

Virus outbreak and cancellation insurance
Coverage in the Netherlands or separate bookings (hotel accommodation)
Many non-life insurance policies exclude epidemics. Most cancellation insurance policies also do not reimburse the expenses if you want to cancel a trip yourself due to a virus outbreak or negative travel advice. If you are (seriously) ill and you cannot travel, the cancellation insurance will cover the costs.

It usually does not matter for the cancellation cover whether you are traveling for a week or weekend within the Netherlands or going abroad. If you have only booked a hotel stay, the same conditions and coverage usually apply. A handful of (all-risk) insurers offer a solution.

Calamity fund
The Calamity Fund does not reimburse when travel is canceled and does not offer guarantee cover in the event of an outbreak of diseases such as the corona virus. This fund does offer a solution if there are calamities when you are already travelling, such as a natural disaster or riots.

Infectious disease and cancel
Some continuous cancellation insurers reimburse if you do not travel due to the outbreak of an infectious disease. Provided this was not yet known when booking the trip and therefore unforeseen. These are:

Aegon: on the Allrisk policy.
ANWB/Unigarant: only if you took out Terrorism and Natural Disasters cover before 30 January 2020 and it concerns an infectious disease with demonstrable health risks.
De Europeesche: only if you have taken out the Allrisk cancellation before 27 February 2020 and a maximum of 75% of the travel sum. The cover also only applies if no corona was detected at the travel destination during the booking.
Nationale-Nederlanden: if there are medical objections to travel to the country of destination due to an outbreak of an infectious disease.
Cancellation insurers that reimburse in the event of a virus outbreak, provided there is a negative travel advice:

Central management
ING
Interpolis
Cloverleaf
Source: MoneyView, February 27, 2020

Please note: An insurance policy covers an uncertain event. In principle, it makes no sense to take out cover when there is already a virus outbreak or other contagious disease.

Negative travel advice and cancellation
Most travel insurers do not reimburse the cancellation of trips that are advised against by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (code orange or red). Only a handful of continuous travel insurers with cancellation cover do reimburse, namely:

Aegon: on the Allrisk policy.
ANWB/Unigarant: only if you took out Terrorism and Natural Disasters cover before 30 January 2020 and it concerns an infectious disease with demonstrable health risks.
Avéro Achmea: on the Vrij op Reis policy
Central management
De Europeesche: only if you have taken out the Allrisk cancellation before 27 February 2020 and a maximum of 75% of the travel sum. The cover also only applies if no corona was detected at the travel destination during the booking.
Interpolis
Cloverleaf
Source: MoneyView, February 27, 2020

If the trip is not advised against, you are also not entitled to an insurance payment. For more advice and information, please contact your own insurer for all information.

For example, Allianz Global Assistance offers Terrorist Attacks & Natural Disasters coverage with negative travel advice. The negative travel advice must be a result of terrorism, natural disasters or internal disturbances or riots in the country of destination. The outbreak of a virus such as the Coronavirus is therefore not covered by this.

KLM rebooks for free, even if you have booked with a travel agency. Phone 020-4.747.747..the waiting time is +/- 2 hours for an answer, so skype.

Moderator: Reader questions go through the editors.

I was able to change my flight from Bangkok to Lisbon to a later date without any problems. That was with Finnair. From Bangkokair I received an open ticket valid until January 27 for my flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Both at no additional cost.
Now working with Booking.com to see if I can change my hotel to a later date. It looks like this will work too.