Influenza Outbreak Changes the Friendly Skies

If you’ve been second guessing your vacation plans because of the H1N1 influenza outbreak, you’re not alone. According to a recent TripAdvisor.com poll of 2,857 users of the site, one-fourth of respondents said they were changing their plans because of the virus. Experts say it’s too early to access the fallout from the outbreak, which has spread to 12 countries, but one area is already feeling the crunch—the airline industry.

Instead of gearing up for the summer travel season, many airlines are being forced to reduce their flights to Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak, and nearly every U.S. airline with routes to Mexico have extended the period that customers can change their travel plans without a penalty. “It (the outbreak) couldn’t come at a worse time for the travel industry,” said Matthew Jacob, an analyst with Majestic Research LLC. “It had seemed like things were starting to recover. This will probably set that back a little.”

Continental, with the most Mexico flights at 450 a week, announced that beginning May 4, it will be reducing the number of flights and switching to smaller planes on some routes. Weekly flights to Cancun will drop from 98 to 46, then to 40 the following week, according to spokeswoman Julie King. Weekly flights to Mexico City will be cut from 116 to 78, and to 60 the subsequent week. “We were already experiencing soft market conditions due to the economy,” said Continental chief executive Larry Kellner, “and now our Mexico routes in particular have extra weakness.” The airline is allowing passengers to postpone trips to Mexico without penalty for all flights departing the U.S. through May 15.

United Airlines says they will continue to serve all four of its destinations but will reduce its weekly round-trip flights between the U.S. and Mexico from 61 to 24 in May and from 90 to 52 in June. Its nonstop flights from Denver to Mexico are being canceled in May, but will resume to two per week for Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos in June. John Tague, United’s chief operating officer, said the airline is “adjusting our schedule to match customer interest.” The carrier says they will monitor demand and make further adjustments as needed. United is issuing waivers for tickets purchased by April 26th for travel to, from, or through Mexico through May 31.

Delta, the world’s biggest airline, plans to cut some of its 350 weekly flights to Mexico, spokeswoman Betsy Talton said in a statement, but that the company still plans to provide service to all of its 11 Mexico destinations. For flights leaving through May 16, Delta will allow you to exchange your tickets to Mexico for another destination altogether without a change fee.

US Airways says it will reduce flights by 38 percent in two phases between May 10 and July 1 and then re-evaluate to see if further cuts are needed in July and August. US is providing a one-time option to re-schedule or re-route for those who are ticketed and traveling to, from or through Mexico City and will waive the standard change fee, advance reservation and ticketing requirements. AirTran Holdings said it has reduced its total flights to Mexico from 16 to 14. They will waive change fees for passengers who want to alter their travel scheduled to or from Cancun through May 31.

On the other hand, American Airlines, the second-largest U.S. carrier flying to Mexico, hasn’t trimmed Mexico flights. Tim Smith, a spokesman for the airlines, said the airline is “monitoring and evaluating demand” on a regular basis. American “does not plan to make any changes unless given a directive from the CDC,” the Association of Professional Flight Attendants told its members in a message. “At this time, all flights are scheduled to depart regardless of flight loads.” But the airline is taking precautions, such as issuing medical kits consisting of masks, gloves and medical equipment to cabin crews and allowing flight attendants to wear both gloves and a mask while working flights in and out of Mexico. For those who still feel skittish about travel to Mexico, American has activated its “storm policy,” which allows passengers to change routes or dates without charge and is also offering refunds for all tickets to Mexico for flights through May 31.

Some global airlines have also reduced links to Mexico. Canada’s largest carriers, Air Canada and WestJet Airlines have suspended all flights to Mexico, as did Cuba, Ecuador and Argentina. Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa announced plans to cut flights and drop routes and says the planes that do fly to Mexico will have a doctor on board. “The doctor is there to answer passenger questions and to identify suspicions of flu during flight and to act to handle the situation before landing,” said Thomas Jachnow, a Lufthansa spokesman in Frankfurt.

Alaska Airways said it will remove blankets and pillows from all its planes and British Airways is handing out face masks to passengers so they can comply with a request by Mexican authorities that passengers cover their faces as they go through Mexican airports.

Brian Hoyt, a spokesperson for Orbitz, a travel booking and comparison site, said overall “people are still flying.” He said their site is suggesting alternative destinations with similar climates, such as Las Vegas or the Caribbean. “Travelers should take precautions, but they should let science, meaning the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, dictate their decisions,” said Hoyt. “Right now the only place they’re saying to be careful is in Mexico.”

However, that recommendation could change at any time, so if you are planning to travel, be sure to check with your airline for their current policies or access Orbitz’s list of airlines and their status.