As global fears over the novel coronavirus intensify, the White House has announced new restrictions on international travel to prevent its spread. The number of infected in the United States continues to grow, with 22 reported dead and more than 100 cases reported across the tri-state.
The CDC says travelers should avoid all nonessential trips to China, Iran, South Korea and Italy. The virus has also had an impact on travel at NYC airports, as a senior official at JFK Airport told NBC New York that the hub usually handles about 46,000 international passengers each day, but on March 3 saw only 30,000 — a drop-off of approximately 35 percent.
But for people who have already booked flights or need to travel, many questions remain -- and airlines are handling the situation in different ways. Here's a round-up of some of the key travel policies from a handful of the major airlines as well as Amtrak. Get more CDC resources here.
DELTA
- Suspended all flights to and from mainland China and Hong Kong
- Temporarily suspended flights between Milan and JFK Airport until the beginning of May
- Will reduce weekly flying schedule to Japan through April 30 and suspend summer seasonal service between Seattle and Osaka through the rest of the year in response to reduced demand related to COVID-19
- Will provide customers affected by the suspensions with options including rebooking or getting a refund
- Full schedules will be available on delta.com beginning March 7. The airline will continue to monitor the situation closely and may make additional adjustments as the situation continues to evolve
- Get full policy details and more information here
United Airlines
- Suspended all flights to and from mainland China and Hong Kong until April 30
- Suspended some service to Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Singapore and Seoul
- Will waive change fees for any bookings — domestic and international — made between March 3 and March 31, 2020
- Cutting international flights scheduled for next month by 20% and those in the United States and Canada by 10%, with those cuts likely continuing into May
- Hiring freeze through June 30
- Get full policy details and more information here
American Airlines
- Suspended all flights to and from mainland China and Hong Kong
- Suspended operations between Milan and JFK Airport until April 25
- Suspending operations to and from Seoul and Dallas Fort-Worth beginning March 4; they're scheduled to resume April 25
- Will provide customers affected by the suspensions with options including rebooking or getting a refund.
- Waiving change fees for customers purchasing travel between March 1 and March 16
- Get full policy details and more information here
JetBlue
- Doesn't fly to Asia, but said it would drop cancellation and rebooking fees for JetBlue flights or JetBlue Vacations booked before March 10, for travel through October 24, 2020
- Initial capacity reduction of "approximately 5% in the near term" as a result of decrease in demand; more reductions in the future could be coming
- Reducing hiring for some positions, may offer voluntary time off programs
- Get full policy details and more information here
Air Canada
- Service to/from China, Hong Kong and Italy is affected
- Some travelers can retrieve booking and change their flights free of charge
- Get full policy details and more information here
British Airways
- No flights to Beijing or Shanghai until April 17
- Continues to operate to and from Italy
- Merging some flights between March 16 and March 28 to match reduced demand; customers will be contacted if they are on canceled flights to discuss travel options, including rebooking or full refunds. See full details on those affected flights here.
- Get full policy details on cancellations and refunds here
Alaska Airlines
- Suspending change and cancellation fees
- People who wanted to cancel or change flights booked between Feb. 27 and March 12, 2020, can receive a full travel credit that can be used up until a year from when it was first issued.
- Get full policy details and more information here
Southwest Airlines
- Southwest Airlines told TODAY that none of the their flights have been canceled or suspended in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak
- However, it is one of the only U.S. airlines that doesn't charge fees for canceling or rescheduling flights, so their policy remains unchanged
Hawaiian Airlines
- All flights from Hawaii to South Korea were suspended as of March 2, and will remain so until April 30
- Any passenger planning to travel to South Korea before the suspension is eligible for a travel-change waiver
- Flights to China have not been suspended, but passengers traveling to China are eligible for a fee-free trip change until March 31
- Get the full policy on waivers and suspensions here
Lufthansa
- Lufthansa Group said it has been exposed to drastic declines in booking and numerous flight cancellations due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus over the recent days, adding that all traffic areas are now affected
- Flight capacity offered will be reduced by up to 50% in the coming weeks
Amtrak
While not an airline and not yet having any travel restrictions, the train service said it was making alterations to its scheduling and ticket reservations, including:
- No change fees on reservations made before April 30
- Starting March 10, Acela Nonstop service (trains 2401, 2402 and 2403) from NYC to Washington, D.C., will be suspended until May 26
