Update Tuesday, April 7:
A release from The Rocky Mountaineer train company posted on its website states the company has further delayed the start of its season until July 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Given the growing impact of the pandemic and global travel restrictions, we find ourselves with no choice but to delay the start of our 2020 travel season and suspend our departures until July 1, 2020,” says the release.
This update comes after the company announced in March that it had suspended all departures scheduled for April.
The release states that individuals who have travel booked during the suspended service dates (April 13 to June 30) will receive a future travel credit for 110 per cent of the funds received by the company, to be used for travel until the end of the 2022 season.
According to the release, the travel credit is not transferable and may not be redeemed for cash or other credit.
According to the release, individuals who have travel booked between July 1 and Oct. 11 who wish to change their travel plans will be allowed to re-book their travel plans for another date in 2020 or 2021 without being charged change fees.
“While the world may seem a bit uncertain right now, we have persevered throughout our 30 years as a company,” says the release. “As challenging as this current situation is, we know it will not last forever and we will get through it together.”
Original story from March 30:
The Rocky Mountaineer train company will delay the start of its season, which typically runs from April to October, suspending all departures through April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was an incredibly difficult action to take, but we believe it will best serve our guests, team members and partners,” states a release from the Rocky Mountaineer.
The year 2020 marks the 30th anniversary for the Rocky Mountaineer, which, according to its website, has hosted nearly 2,000,000 guests since its first ride, many of whom have stayed overnight in Quesnel during their journey, as our city is one of the train’s overnight stops.
According to the release from the company, individuals who have had their departures suspended will receive a 110-per-cent credit of their original booking costs, which is to be used for travel by the end of the 2022 season.
For individuals who have current bookings for 2020 which have not been affected by the delayed start to the Rocky Mountaineer’s season but who wish to defer their travel to a later date, the company has waived any penalties involved with rescheduling dates so long as the scheduled departure is no less then 30 days out.
The release states the company will continue to monitor the government’s travel mandates surrounding COVID-19 to see if further action needs to be taken by the company.
“We will continue to evaluate the situation and potential impact on further departures based on travel mandates from global and Canadian governments,” it states. “We sincerely thank our guests and partners for their patience and understanding as we work through the delayed start to the season.”
Individuals who are interested in making changes to their travel plans are encouraged to contact the Rocky Mountaineer Sales Centre at 1-877-460-3200. Those seeking more information about the changes made to the company’s terms and conditions can do so by visiting the company’s website at rockymountaineer.com/terms-conditions.
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editor@quesnelobserver.com
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