What it's like traveling in Asia during the coronavirus crisis Mix of difficulties and silver linings during a monthlong swing

Reader and frequent traveler Thomas Blakeney sent photos from his February 2020 trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Hong Kong in the height of the coronavirus crisis. Reader and frequent traveler Thomas Blakeney sent photos from his February 2020 trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Hong Kong in the height of the coronavirus crisis. Photo: Thomas Blakeney Photo: Thomas Blakeney Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close What it's like traveling in Asia during the coronavirus crisis 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

I'm a long time reader, sometime commentator. I returned from Asia (Vietnam and Malaysia) late last Friday after traveling during the month of February. My flight itinerary took me through Hong Kong both directions on Cathay Pacific Airways. I'd been to North Vietnam six years ago, but hadn't spent much time in Ho Chi Minh City; and I'd never visited Malaysia before. As you can imagine, the news of COVID-19 affected almost every aspect of the trip in both good and bad ways.

Thomas Blakeney, an SFGATE reader and frequent traveler from San Francisco, wrote this post.

My initial SFO-HKG flight departed late on Feb. 3. The plane was filled to about a quarter of capacity -- just like "the good ole" days' before full flights became the norm. This worked out great for the passengers, as everyone had the opportunity to stretch out over an entire row. I slept great -- about six hours solid (with the help of an Ambien tablet). Immigration wasn't difficult since the flight originated in the United States, but I noticed that almost everyone was wearing surgical masks -- even more than is usual for an Asian country. (Be sure to see the slideshow at the top of this post for a look inside Blakeney's trip.)

I was originally scheduled to spend a two-hour layover in Hong Kong, before flying to Saigon. But Vietnamese authorities had stopped all flights originating in China and Hong Kong that past weekend, so I was bumped to a later flight while they cleared the backlog of passengers. By chance, I met a cyclist from Spain while I was waiting at the airport. He was planning to bike from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, but had to cancel his adventure after the border to Vietnam was closed due to health concerns.

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Back in February, it was still early in the coronavirus or COVID-19 scare, and the Vietnamese authorities were proactive in their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. All government employees and anyone working in the tourism sector were ordered to wear masks and take appropriate hygienic precautions. I was turned away from a temple in Ho Chi Minh, because I had left my face mask at the hotel. Most taxi drivers and restaurant and hotel workers wore masks, as did many of the locals and foreign tourists.

By the time I got to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the panic on the ground had died down considerably. One reason was that Malaysia had relatively few instances of COVID-19. But the tourism industry was reeling from cancellations from the Chinese market. Hotel bookings were way down, and group tours so popular with Chinese visitors were dropped entirely.

Photo: Thomas Blakeney Reader Thomas Blakeney sent photos from his February 2020 trip to...

I soon learned that my return flights were affected by the outbreak. Cathay Dragon used to fly twice daily from Penang to Hong Kong, but lack of demand forced them to reduce the schedule and consolidate all passengers on a single morning departure. Even then, the flight operated at barely 20 percent capacity.

Likewise, for my HKG-SFO leg, I was originally booked on the midday departure. But when that flight and the evening departure were both canceled, we all were put on the single remaining flight that left after midnight. My original two-hour wait time ballooned to a six-hour delay, then to a full 12-hour layover!

Since I was flying on a ticket paid for with Avios points, I called British Airways to investigate my options. The short answer was that there was no alternative routing on partner airlines that would reduce my travel time. Flights on Qatar, Singapore, and Malaysian Airlines required awkward connections; so I was stuck with the consequences. Fortunately, the phone rep helping me volunteered that I would be able to claim compensation from British Airways for my expenses due to the flight cancellations and delays.

Long story short, I booked a 10-hour slot at the Plaza Premium First Lounge at Hong Kong International. I enjoyed an invigorating massage, a long hot shower, two full meals with decent wine, and high-speed Wi-Fi all in a relaxing, quiet atmosphere. Not a bad way to turn lemons into lemonade, and much better than a beer and Burger King. Now all I have to do is get British Airways to pick up the bill ($150) for the lounge fee. I'll let you know if they keep up their end of the bargain.



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