Swine Flu Travel Advisory
The U.S. State Department alerts individuals of the health risks of travel to Mexico at this time due to an outbreak of "swine flu." Please be advised that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that U.S. travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico. Changes to this recommendation will be posted on the CDC Web site.
Airlines
Many airlines have relaxed their re-ticketing policies as a result of the swine flu outbreak. These policies vary from airline to airline, so be sure to check the specific airline you are traveling. If your airline is not listed, please contact your travel agent for an update. In conjunction with the airline policies and date ranges, Montrose Travel will waive their transaction fee for reissue of tickets to Mexico.
Air Tran
AeroMexico
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Continental Airlines
Delta Airlines
Frontier Airlines
JetBlue
Mexicana Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines
Sun Country
TACA Airlines
United Airlines
US Airways
Further, please be advised that Mexico has instituted swine flu screening at airports and land borders for travelers departing Mexico, according to Mexican health authorities. Passengers showing symptoms of swine influenza will be asked to submit voluntarily to physical examination and further evaluation, if needed. Entry and exit screening may cause significant delays at airports. At this time, the United States is not conducting enhanced entry screening of passengers arriving from Mexico, nor is the United States conducting exit screening of passengers departing for Mexico.
Cruise Lines
The world's largest cruise lines took preventative action on Tuesday and suspended all stops in Mexico because of the swine flu outbreak. To avoid docking in the country where the swine flu outbreak began, the cruise lines are routing ships to other ports or spending more time at sea.
All cruise lines indicate that their ships and medical staff are already well equipped to prevent and contain the spread of contagious diseases, including swine flu. Even though the risk of contracting this illness is very low, we will be taking extra precautions, and will be guided by advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
We do not know at this time whether cruise lines will relax cancellation policies for those who may be ill or fear becoming ill. Also, there have been no reports thus far of compensation due to the missed port calls.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Celebrity Cruises
Holland America
NCL
Princess Cruises
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Vacation / Tour Packages
Several major tour operators are offering to rebook clients booked for travel to Mexico without charging penalty fees. Most tour operator waiver policies for Mexico stipulate applicable travel dates and re-booking deadlines. Please contact your agent to determine the specific supplier policies for your package.
Insurance
If you purchased an insurance plan with the optional "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage, you could cancel your trip and receive the benefits outlined in the policy. With a typical travel insurance plan that does not include Cancel for Any Reason coverage, cancellation due to fear of contracting the virus while traveling would not be a covered reason for cancellation. Additionally, a number of travel insurance plans do include coverage for trip interruption and travel delay if a traveler is quarantined to an area because of possible contact with the swine flu. Regardless of where you are traveling, it is important to make certain that you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance plan that includes travel delay, trip interruption, medical expense and emergency medical evacuation coverage as well as 24/7 emergency medical and travel assistance.
In Conclusion
No matter where you are traveling, it is important to prepare for the unexpected. Montrose Travel is advising its customers to take precautions when traveling to areas recently affected by the swine flu outbreak. While in no way do we want to minimize the seriousness of this outbreak, our first concern is for our customers to remember to take precautions, and as with any health advisory, be prepared, but not panicked.
