Coronavirus Update: Delta, United, And Other Airlines Broaden Flight Change Fee Waivers

To help ease the sting of coronavirus for their customers, several airlines are broadening their offers for change fee waivers.

The first major airline to make this offer was Delta, who on Monday announced that customers with flights booked to anywhere in March and April could cancel or change their booking without incurring any sort of fee.

Following in their footsteps, United Airlines matched Delta’s offer later in the day and American Airlines joined them earlier today, according to USA Today. Frontier Airlines made a similar, albeit more limited, offer, allowing customers to avoid fees for changed flights between March 3-16. However, some customers were reportedly told that waivers were no longer available, despite the announcement. Frontier later called this “a communications disconnect,” citing misinformed call center employees, and apologized for any inconvenience the issue cause.

Fees for flight changes at these airlines start as high as $200. While the waivers will save cautious travelers this expense, they are still required to pay any difference in fare if they opt for a more expensive flight. Anyone who outright cancels their flight will receive a voucher equal to the value of their previous booking.

Southwest customers are also safe to cancel, as well, as that airline does not charge change fees. It has also recently announced that it is now using hospital-grade materials to clean the cabins in its fleets.