No one likes to sit near someone with the sniffles or a cough on the plane, but what about the very real prospect of your seatmate having swine flu? If current airline policies continue, those who have flu-like symptoms and heed the Centers for Disease Control warning to “stay home and avoid travel for 7 days” will face hundreds of dollars in airline fees and penalties. How many will still fly despite their illness and the chance of spreading it?
An unprecedented national effort is being waged to limit the impact and spread of the H1N1 flu (swine flu) virus. Millions of vaccine doses are now being distributed across the country, health care workers are being inoculated en masse, government workers have new medical leave policies, schools are being closed and the head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned, “We have not had a flu season like this in at least 50 years.”
Neither the airlines nor the Department of Transportation (DOT) have made a meaningful response to this pandemic as it sweeps the country. Basic common sense tells us that airplane flights — putting large groups of people in a small, contained space — will facilitate the spread of this virus.
So far, the airline industry’s sole response has been to remove pillows and blankets from many aircraft. Plus, spokespersons for the airlines have said, “If you are sick, stay home.” Yet, our airlines are actually punishing passengers who choose to not fly when infected. The airlines can and should change policy to help slow the spread of H1N1.
Airline passengers have to pay change fees of as much as $150 for domestic flights and $250 for international flights when they opt to change a flight. Then, they are required by the airlines to pay the difference between the original price paid for their flight and the current airline price. (When comparing the cost of an advanced-purchase ticket with the cost of a flight leaving next week, that difference can be dramatic. In fact, it can be up to four times as much or more.)
Getting more people with flu symptoms to comply with the CDC’s suggestion about travel when ill with the flu would be greatly facilitated by the airlines allowing passengers with a health professional’s letter indicating that they have or may have H1N1 to be allowed to reschedule their trip at no additional cost.
Just think of the difference airlines could make in limiting the spread of H1N1 by being proactive and making these changes immediately. But, absent any changes in policy by the airlines, the DOT, in consultation with the CDC, should get in gear and mandate that the airlines eliminate their change and cancellation rules that punish passengers for being good citizens.
During this flu season, swine flu shouldn’t fly. Dropping the airline penalties will help make this happen.
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While I agree 100% that people with the flu should not be flying, I don’t think the airline should bear the costs when a flyer knowingly books a restricted ticket and does not have insurance.
In the past, I’ve had to cancel vaction plans due to illness, I gambled that I would defintely be going and booked a cheap restricted ticket, I lost that gamble. However, over the years, I’ve won that bet enough to make the gamble worth it.
You say “schools are being closed ” – but the policy here in the Houston area is business as usual. The H1N1 flu is turning out to be no more deadly than the flu from any other year. “Pandemic” only means that it has spread worldwide – not that it is any more of a risk than any other flu. True, we don’t want to spread it, but the same advise should have been heeded last year or any other year for people who have the flu. Get your shot like you do every year. Stay at home like to do for any other flu. Don’t go to school, etc. but don’t panic like this is something new. And please check with the CDC again, because the last I saw even though more people might be getting the flu, they are mild (I have already had it this year and I was inconvienced only.)
I do believe that the airlines should offer a waiver, just like they do for other “acts of god” or other events such as hostilities breaking out somewhere in the world.
Failing that it should be done for public health reasons. While OTC is correct that the airlines shouldn’t have to bear the cost, it is in their own self-interest to have sick passengers stay home since a sick passenger will come into contact with 3 or 4 airline employees on each leg of his/her journey. This means that by not waiving the change fees and penalties the airline is going to end up with a slow down caused by a fair percentage of its employees out sick at the same time.
This is an area where the government could very reasonably take action.
I agree with Dave S. Much as we like to dish on the airlines, we have to accept that a refund for being sick is lost revenue. So if the CDC is serious about stopping the spread of swine flu, maybe some financial compensation is in order– either to the airlines, or directly to passengers upon presentation of a doctor’s affidavit and the ticket.
But then, another thought: if the seats are filled anyway because the flight was overbooked, no refund to the airline and the airline MUST refund the sick passenger.
Well, that’s probably too complicated to ever get through an approval process before 2020…
Tony says “The H1N1 flu is turning out to be no more deadly than the flu from any other year.”
Tell that to the families of pregnant women and children who have died from H1N1who would only have had mild cases of normal flu.
I totally agree that ridiculously expensive change fees probably discourage many people from changing their travel plans if they are sick. This is a public health hazard that needs addressed. In the meantime, I am flying Southwest whenever possible. Southwest has no change fees and their fares cap out well below other carriers, making it a safer bet for both financial and health reasons. The CDC should conduct a study that compares Southwest with other airlines on the same routes to determine if there are more sick people on airlines with expensive change penalties. I’m going to assume that there are until someone finds out otherwise.