Table of Contents
You can continuously track the latest news here.
Each airline is handling the ongoing situation differently. If you need to travel it’s best to book with an airline that has easy cancellations with relatively low fees or waived fees in case your plans are disrupted. Please note that these are the policies as of March 5th, many airlines continue to change and update their conditions. There are links to each airline’s direct site and/or blog so you can easily get the latest information.
UPDATE March 26th 1:00 PM: Virgin Atlantic adjusted their policy this morning, tickets bought before March 2020 can be changed to any date before April 30th, 2021 without any fees. “In addition, if you’re travelling before 30th June 2020 we are waiving the fare difference on top of waiving the change fee. For any travel after that date, you will need to pay any difference in fare.”
Air France Flight Cancellation Policy
This airline has authorized re-booking at no extra cost until March 31st. This policy was first only offered to travelers heading to or coming from locations with high risk of exposure but in light of recent events they’ve extended this laxed policy to their entire network of customers.
“Air France ticket, issued on or before 31 March, 2020, and valid for a flight scheduled between 3 March and 31 May, 2020, regardless of the destination, you can postpone your trip at no extra cost onto a later flight until 31 may, 2020 included, to the same destination and in the same booking class.” Air France
It’s important to note that when booking with Air France you are not able to change your destination, many of the airlines have since implemented more flexible guidelines.
For more information visit Air France’s official website.Need to modify your flight? Click here.
Alaska Airlines Cancellation Policy
UPDATE: March 13th, 2020 6:27 PM
- Saver fare tickets purchased between February 27, 2020 and March 31, 2020 for travel through February 28, 2021, you may cancel your trip and be credited for it in your account.
- Nonrefundable First Class, main, or award ticket between February 27, 2020 and March 31, 2020 for travel through February 28, 2021, you may change your trip or cancel it without a fee
Alaska Airlines has updated their blog recently to include the changes they’ve made to their cancellation policies in an attempt to keep employees and guests safe. They’ve also outlined some of the changes they’re making to the in airport and on-board cleaning routine to help prevent the virus from spreading and provided tips for travelers themselves.
The following is the exception policy for those traveling in the near future:
“If you purchase a Saver fare between February 27, 2020 and March 12, 2020 for travel through June 30, 2020, you may:
- Cancel your trip and deposit the funds into your My Account wallet.
If you purchase a nonrefundable First Class or Main fare between February 27, 2020 and March 12, 2020 for travel through June 30, 2020, you may:
- Make a one-time change with no change fee. New travel must be completed by December 31, 2020. A fare difference may apply to your new itinerary.
- Cancel your trip and deposit the funds into My Account wallet.” Alaska Airlines
My Account wallet is not your actual bank account, this means you can get the full refund to your airline account but cannot get the money back on the credit or debit card you used at the time of purchase. If you secured our flight tickets directly through Alaska Airlines click here to make a change to the reservation. If you booked with a third part you’ll need to work with them directly.
American Airlines Cancellation Policy
UPDATE: March 13th, 2020 6:30 PM
“March 1, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. CT and March 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CT, you may change your flight once without paying a change fee. Tickets must be purchased for travel between March 1, 2020 and January 30, 2021.”
American wants you to book with confidence so they will be dropping fees for flight changes, including changes in destination. This will be in effect through March 16th, however, changes must be made 14 days prior to the original flight date. You’ll also have to make sure that the new trip you plan is within one year of your previous departure date. If the new ticket costs more you will see an additional charge for that but you don’t need to worry about cancelation fees themselves.
To review additional policy changes see their travel notice exception policy updates here. Since the beginning of the outbreak they’ve released 8 updates and we can anticipate more if it continues to spread.
Delta Air Lines Cancellation Policy
UPDATE: March 13th, 2020 6:32 PM
No Change Fees For Customers March 1 – April 30, 2020
Their policy accommodates travelers booking between March 1-30th, in contrast to American Airlines which as of now only allows changes to bookings made up until march 16th. They have also put in place additional policy exceptions for patrons changing flights to the following locations:
“Additionally, we are allowing customers to make a one-time change to travel plans without a fee if your plans include these cities:
- Shanghai and Beijing, China – through April 30. Details here.
- Seoul, South Korea – through April 30. Details here.
- All locations in Italy, including Bologna, Milan, Rome, Turin and Venice – through April 30. Details here.” Delta Air Lines”
Frontier Airlines Cancellation Policy
This is another airline that has changed it’s policy so that travelers can be flexible on dates but cannot change the destination they’re flying to, however, you can outright cancel the flight. If you do this, your fight will be credited to your Frontier Airlines account and can be applied to another flight within the next 90 days. If you need to make changes to your reservation click here you can also find more information on their Travel Policies page and their blog.
Hawaiian Airlines Cancellation Policy
Hawaiian has taken specific cautions as far as their own procedures to help keep travelers safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes adopting a flexible ticket change policy for specific dates.
“Guests who book any of our flights between March 1-16, 2020 may change their travel to a future date without incurring change fees.*” Hawaiian Airlines
Again they’re allowing for date changes but they must be made 24 hours before the flight and you cannot change the destination. If Hawaiian Airlines customers wants to change the destination they’re free to do so but there will be a fee. The credit from the last flight can be applied to this new destination though.
This airline does have a “Refundable Fares Only” search option that travelers can use for free when booking if they’re worried about possible cancellation.
You can contact them with questions before booking via email, text or live chat. If you’ve already booked a ticket and need to make changes visit here, remember that there is only one change without fees permitted. Any additional changes to the dates will result in a fee.
JetBlue Airways Cancellation Policy
UPDATE: March 13th, 2020 6:34 PM
March 10, 2020 through April 30, 2020 no cancel or change fees for tickets.
They’ve been keeping everyone up to date on their latest changes on their Travel Alerts page. Offering one of the more flexible policy alterations, you can change your destination, date or apply the credit to a future trip. As of now there are the dates in which they’re making exceptions to their standing cancellation policy:
“Due to evolving Coronavirus concerns, we are extending the suspension of JetBlue change and cancel fees for all new flight bookings made between March 6, 2020 and March 31, 2020 for travel through September 8, 2020.
The change/cancel fees suspension still applies for bookings made between February 27, 2020 and March 5, 2020 for travel through June 1, 2020.”
This applies to JetBlue and Blue Basic flights, flights booked through JetBlue Vacations can also be changed or canceled without fees for the dates above. If you need to change an existing flight or contact them for assistance they’re available.
KLM Cancellation Policy
Royal Dutch Airlines is waiving fees but if your new dates cost more you will be subject to the higher fare pricing. You can change your destination and have your total spend applied to another trip provided by KLM, Air France, Delta Airlines and/or Virgin. You can see additional details on their Up-to-date Information page.
“If you have a KLM ticket starting with 074, issued on or before Tuesday 31 March 2020, and valid for travel between Wednesday 4 March 2020 and Sunday 31 May 2020, regardless of the destination, you can postpone your trip at no extra cost. View your flight details or change your booking directly in My Trip.
Your new departure date should be no later than Sunday 31 May 2020.” KLM
United Airlines (Most Flexible) Cancellation Policy
UPDATE: March 13th, 2020 6:37 PM
Through March 3 and March 31, 2020, you can change it for free over the next 12 months
United Airlines has some of the most flexible policies regarding ticket changes due to the Coronavirus:
“We know people are taking a second look at their travel plans right now, and we want you to have flexibility when planning your next trip — that’s why when you book a flight with us between March 3 and March 31, 2020, you can change it for free over the next 12 months. “
This waiver includes all tickets, all fare types, all destinations, all points of sale, and even includes non-refundable tickets that have already been purchased.
They’re even waiving the change fee and any difference in fare if you are rebooking for the same city. If you want ease of mind and the most flexibility we’d recommend booking with them during this time.
Updates to the policy will continue to be released here.
