Suppliers Issue New Cancellation, Change Policies Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact
Updated 3/16/2020
Airlines
Alaska Airlines will waive fees for tickets purchased on or before Feb. 26, for travel through the end of March, as well as new bookings made between Feb. 27 and March 31, for travel through Feb. 28, 2021.
American Airlines has no change fee on tickets booked on or before March 10, as well as new flights booked through the end of March.
British Airways is allowing change fees on new bookings.
Delta has issued a broad change fee waiver, allowing passengers with tickets to any destination in March and April to change or cancel flights without any penalties.
Etihad Airways will allow customers to rebook a complimentary date or destination change for flights booked until April 7, 2020.
JetBlue will waive change/cancel fees for customers traveling through April 30, 2020, for tickets purchased on or before March 10. Customers may rebook their flights for travel through October 24, 2020,
Lufthansa Group loosened rebooking policies for Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti.
United is waiving change fees for all tickets issued on or before March 2 — domestic or international — with original travel dates of March 9 through April 30. Flights booked through March 31 can also change for free over the next 12 months.
Ryanair will waive change fees for customers through March 31. This policy applies to all existing and new bookings.
Montreal-based Air Transat will waive the change fees on all flights and packages booked before Mar. 4, 2020, for travel by Apr. 30, 2020. Credits can be used for travel by Dec. 31, 2020.
Cruise Lines
Avalon has issued a flexible cancellation and rescheduling policy.
AmaWaterways has a new cancellation and refund policy after delaying the start of its European season.
Carnival updated its cancellation policy and added an incentive for guests who sail now through May.
CrosiEurope has no cancellation fee or penalty up to 30 days before departure for reservations booked between March 9 and May 1, for cruises departing through Aug. 31, 2020.
Cunard added a 48-hour cancellation policy, and announced a voluntary suspension of all sailing until April 11, 2020.
Disney Cruise Line bookings can be changed up until the day before embarkation. All new departures have been suspended. Impacted guests a future cruise credit or a full refund and travel advisor commissions will protected for those reservations.
Holland America Line eased its cancellation policy and is offering an incentive for guests who keep their trip.
Hurtigruten is offering free rebooking to any future cruise until the summer of 2021.
MSC Cruises Mediterranean cruises with departures in March and April may be changed to an itinerary scheduled for a year into the future.
Norwegian Cruise Line changed its final payment policy and added a 48-hour cancellation policy.
P&O Cruises are temporarily suspending operations from U.S. ports for 30 days, and is suspending any new cruises until April 11, 2020.
Paul Gauguin has a new change policy because of the virus.
Princess Cruise has updated both its final payment and its cancellation and refund policies after announcing a suspension of operations for 60 days.
Ponant has added new temporary payment and cancellation policies.
Regent Seven Seas is extending final payment date and added 48-hour cancellations.
Riviera River Cruises 2020 bookings can be canceled with 24 hours’ notice and guests will be credited to a future 2020 cruise.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) is allowing guests on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara, and Silversea to cancel up to 48-hours before a sailing.
Seabourn introduced a temporary exception to its cancellation policy.
Silversea issued a new cancellation policy.
Uniworld has suspended operations until at least April 23 and has issued a new reschedule and cancellation policy.
Viking has issued canceled sailings through April and has issued a cruise credit or refund option for its guests.
Virgin Voyages has delayed its inaugural season and has issued refund and cancellation policies for impacted guests.
Windstar changed has updated its cancellation policy and suspended operations through April.
Hotels
Hilton added free 24-hour cancellations.
Hyatt is waiving cancellation fees for stays through March 31, 2020 for the following: guests residing in Greater China, South Korea, Japan and Italy with reservations at Hyatt hotels globally; and guests with reservations at Hyatt hotels in Greater China, South Korea, Japan and Italy.
IHG has extended its cancellation fee waivers for stays in South Korea and Italy through March 31, in addition to Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, or the Taiwan region.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts guests traveling to or from Greater China, South Korea or Italy through March 31 will have their cancellation or change penalties waived.
Marigot Bay Resort & Marina in St. Lucia will waive the cancellation fees for guests who book new reservations through March 31, for stays at the resort through Dec. 15, 2020. If guests cancel their reservation, a full refund will be processed upon receipt of written notification from the guest or the travel advisor that the cancellation was due to the coronavirus.
Marriott is waiving cancellation fees for hotel stays through March 31, 2020 for guests traveling to or from the following locations: Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, French Polynesia, Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, and Italy. Marriott will also allow cancellations on bookings made up to 24 hours prior to arrival, as long as the change or cancellation is made by April 30, 2020.
MGM will be temporarily closing all of its Las Vegas hotel and casinos. That includes: Aria, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Bellagio, The Mirage and New York-New York.
Vail Resorts will close its North American mountain resorts and retail stores through March 22, 2020.
