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JetBlue has announced a new policy designed to “give customers confidence” during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
Starting today, the airline is suspending change and cancellation fees for all upcoming flights booked between Feb. 27 and March 11, for travel scheduled to take place before June 1.
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“While authorities have not issued any travel restrictions to the locations we fly, we want to give our customers some peace of mind that we are ready to support them should the situation change,” said JetBlue President and COO Joanna Geraghty in a media release. “Given our mission is to inspire humanity, we felt this suspension was an important way to live up to our crewmember and customer expectations during this uncertain time.
JetBlue’s new policy extends to its normally non-refundable JetBlue Basic fares, as well as flights booked via JetBlue Vacations. Customers who cancel will receive a "full travel credit"; those who change flights can apply the value of their ticket to a different itinerary (fare differences may still apply).
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JetBlue currently does not fly to China, where the novel coronavirus has taken the most drastic toll, or to South Korea — both places currently listed under a Level 3 alert (avoid nonessential travel) by the CDC.
“While authorities have not issued any travel restrictions to the locations we fly, we want to give our customers some peace of mind that we are ready to support them should the situation change,” said JetBlue President and COO Joanna Geraghty in a media release. (iStock)
In announcing the new policy, JetBlue has become the first U.S. carrier to allow for waivers on all flights between a given time period, as opposed to waivers for travel to specific airports.
American, Delta and United Airlines had all recently issued waivers for ticketholders with flights scheduled for mainland China, Hong Kong, and South Korea amid growing concerns over the coronavirus. Each has also temporarily suspended flights to China for the time being; Delta has also reduced its departures to South Korea.
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In addition to JetBlue’s new policy, the carrier confirmed it has taken measures “aligned with the recommendations of global health authorities and has activated its pandemic response team” in order to determine “any further action.”
“We are committed to the health and safety of both our crewmembers and customers, and we are working directly with health and security officials as well as industry leaders for updates and best practices,” Geraghty said.