To make sure those worries don’t keep people from traveling, transportation companies are doing what they can to protect the health of their passengers and employees. They’re spraying surfaces with disinfectant and doing away with blankets and pillows. Flight attendants are clipping containers of hand sanitizer Purell to their belts, while Amtrak is stocking trains with hand wipes.
Such precautions are being taking seriously because swine flu cases are mounting at perhaps the worst time for the travel industry. Thanksgiving week is the industry’s busiest period, but companies are also suffering from a downturn in travel: Passenger air travel during the holiday weekend is down 62 percent from 2000, according to AAA.
Some airlines and bus companies are making it easier for customers to reschedule travel plans if they fall ill. Peter Pan Bus Lines is reissuing tickets free of charge for people too sick to travel, no doctor’s note needed. Greyhound Lines and BoltBus offer refunds if someone falls ill - again, no proof required.
AirTran Airways will waive its usual $75 change fee for passengers with a doctor’s note confirming swine flu is the cause. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines already had policies to not charge passengers who are too sick to travel, and the illnesses are not limited to H1N1.
“It could be the chicken pox,’’ said United spokesperson Robin Urbanski. “As long as there’s a doctor’s note we’ll waive the change fee.’’
At a time when airlines are hurting, waiving change fees is a tough call, said Jami Counter of the Newton-based travel review site TripAdvisor. They don’t want to lose a source of revenue, but they also don’t want sick people flying and scaring off other passengers. “They’re almost in a catch-22,’’ he said.
A poll TripAdvisor conducted last month found 51 percent of travelers would fly with the flu to avoid paying the change fee. And if even if you get the change fee waived, rebooking isn’t exactly free. Passengers usually have to pay the difference if the new ticket costs more.
