Days after exempting some flights to northern Italy from change and cancellation fees due to concerns about coronavirus, Delta is now waiving those fees for all upcoming flights to Italy. And United and American are both now issuing travel waivers for flights into Northern Italy.
Delta's travel waiver for flights to Italy extends over the next two-plus weeks. Italy has the most recorded cases of the deadly virus outside of Asia, with more than 500 confirmed cases and 14 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins at time of publication.
Flights to Italy between Feb. 25 and March 15 are eligible to be changed so long as your flights are rebooked by March 15. If you're changing flights, you can depart as late as April 3 without incurring a fee.
Delta initially only waived change and cancellation fees for flights into Milan-Malpensa (MXP), Milan-Linate (LIN), Venice (VCE), and Bologna (BLQ). You can get more information on how to change or cancel your flights at Delta's travel waiver page.
The novel coronavirus has hit hardest in mainland China where it appears to have originated. Of the 82,000 confirmed cases at time of publication, more than 97% are in China.
But that picture has started to change, worrying public health officials across the globe. Some international airlines have stopped flying to Seoul-Incheon (ICN), as South Korea has become a hotspot for the virus. All three major U.S. carriers have issued travel waivers for flights to South Korea, and Delta scrapped some of its flights to Seoul – including a two-month pause on flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Bottom Line
Italy won't be the last country to be affected by the spread of coronavirus. As alarm about the virus grows, we'll likely see more changes to flights in and out of Asia, Europe, and elsewhere.