Airlines are letting travelers cancel flights because of Zika virus
Updated at Jan. 27 2016, 1:34 p.m. EST
United, American and LATAM Airlines are waiving cancellation and flight-change fees for pregnant passengers and their companions who had planned to fly to countries where the presence of Zika virus has been confirmed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The news is the latest blow to tourism in a growing list of Central and South American and Caribbean countries.
You May Also Like
Grupo LATAM, which is limiting waivers to pregnant women who supply a medical note, says the policy applies to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, French Guiana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Venezuela.
Late Tuesday, the CDC added the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic to the travel advisory.
Pregnant passengers currently traveling with LATAM to the above destinations can return early without additional fees, and pregnant passengers who have purchased but not yet used a ticket can either change their destination or request a refund.
"In order to be eligible for these options, the pregnant passenger must submit a medical statement from a doctor confirming the weeks of gestation," LATAM told Mashable.
American Airlines also says it will give refunds to pregnant women who were planning to travel to parts of Central America.
Meanwhile, United Airlines told Mashable all customers booked to fly to areas affected by the virus can reschedule or get refunds.
However, at least one passenger attempting to get a refund was told by the airline that the waiver applies only to pregnant passengers and their companions:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The United Airlines offer began Tuesday and includes any country covered by a CDC travel notice, an airline spokesman said. American Airlines began refunds Monday for pregnant passengers holding tickets to El Salvador, Honduras, Panama or Guatemala, according to a spokesman.
A spokesman for Delta Air Lines said the carrier was monitoring the situation but not yet offering waivers. Spirit Airlines was not immediately able to say whether they were offering refunds. Southwest Airlines said it was sticking to its normal policy, which lets customers who cancel ahead of time reuse the value of their tickets. All of those airlines fly to at least some affected locations.
JetBlue, which services many Caribbean destinations impacted by the advisories, told Mashable that customers concerned about Zika can contact the airline.
"Customers planning to travel should review the CDC alert, which recommends enhanced precautions rather than avoiding non-essential travel entirely," a spokesperson said. "We will accommodate customers with concerns of traveling to Zika-impacted areas with a refund or rebooking."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged pregnant women to consider postponing visits to 24 destinations because of concerns that the mosquito-borne virus could be linked to a wave of birth defects in Brazil known as microcephaly, in which children are born with heads that are smaller than normal and often have developmental problems.
The World Health Organization cautions that the link is not yet scientifically proven.
But some affected countries are reacting to the potential danger even more forcefully than the CDC.
Health officials in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador have issued various advisories all pointing to the same thing: that women there should postpone getting pregnant until more is known. Jamaica and El Salvador have not yet had confirmed locally transmitted cases.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
This story has been updated with comment from the airlines.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
