Young people are risking cheap flights amid coronavirus: ‘If I die, I die’

It’s a matter of fun — and affordability — over fear.

As air travel becomes increasingly precarious with flight cancellations and country-wide quarantines amid the coronavirus outbreak, some young people are taking advantage of cheaper tickets.

“I feel like if the coronavirus would get even more serious and like wipe out a large amount of people, I might as well be somewhere having fun,” 20-year-old Ashley Henkel tells NBC of her recent decision to book three cheap summer flights. The resident of California’s Central Valley has decided not to let the virus drive her into self-quarantine, but instead enable her to scratch her itch to travel.

There’s “no fun in staying at home and being all worried,” says Henkel, who’s looking forward to her freshly planned trips to Vancouver, British Columbia, New York and Portland, Ore.

And she’s not alone in capitalizing on ticket prices slashed by fear relating to the deadly virus, for which more than 1,000 have already tested positive in the US.

“You really think Coronavirus is gonna stop me booking a holiday and catching a flight?” tweeted Manchester, England, resident Jack Mulligan. While the statement is meant to be funny, the 29-year-old insists he’s not kidding.

“As much of a joke my tweet may have seemed, I was being deadly serious,” Mulligan tells NBC, saying he saved over $350 on a May trip to the Dominican Republic.

“I think the coronavirus is clearly something people need to be wary of, but I don’t plan on putting my life on hold because something is going around,” he adds.

For others, cheaper airfare makes previously unaffordable reunions possible.

“If I die, I die. I miss my family,” 27-year-old Capri Nicole tells NBC of the flight she just saved some $200 booking from Atlanta to Connecticut so she can see her grandma on her 71st birthday.

Coronavirus map: confirmed cases in the US

Some find nihilistic amusement in the suddenly increased risk and decreased price of travel.

“[You’re] telling me I can travel for so cheap with a pretty good chance of dying?” tweets one fan of price cuts. “Sign me up les [sic] go baby.”

Brave and savvy travelers aren’t the only ones saving money in the face of the pandemic. Human lab rats are being recruited to get directly infected with the virus at a London lab, which will pay them about $4,588 for their troubles.

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