Airlines Show Some Lenience on Zika

In recent days, several U.S. airlines have said passengers planning travel to destinations where Zika has spread can change to alternative destinations, switch travel dates or cancel flights for refunds. In most cases, the travelers must be pregnant or attest to trying to become pregnant in order to exercise those options.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said customers can make fee-waived changes to future tickets until Feb. 29. United Continental Holdings Inc. said customers should contact its call centers to rebook or receive refunds. United, on its website, included a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's information on Zika, which now is present in nine countries in South America, eight locales in the Caribbean, Mexico and four nations in Central America.

American Airlines Group Inc., among the largest U.S. carriers to Latin America, initially said it would refund customers who provided doctor's notes saying they were unable to travel due to pregnancy. But American later this week expanded the policy to include pregnant women and their companion travelers, who still would need a doctor's note related to the woman's pregnancy. The company didn't disclose how many countries would be covered but said it would review travelers' situations on a case-by-case basis. JetBlue Airways Corp. joined in this week as well with a refund and rebooking policy.

Hotel chain Hilton Worldwide, which has 109 properties in Latin America and the Caribbean, said cancellations were being considered on a case-by-case basis. "Hilton Worldwide is working closely with local health departments and its properties to follow CDC prevention recommendations for Zika virus," it said.

Ryan Dube contributed to this article.

Write to Susan Carey at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 28, 2016 20:35 ET (01:35 GMT)

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