GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Some airlines are temporarily suspending flights to certain countries and waiving change fees due to the coronavirus outbreak.
We talked with Fox World Travel, a travel company with locations throughout Northeast Wisconsin. Rose Gray, the business relationship director, said some who are traveling soon and not going to an affected area are staying the course, while she said some are feeling very uncertain about it.
"The people who are traveling to the Caribbean and Mexico and Central America, the warmer weather international destinations are less concerned. It's people who are traveling to the areas that have a raised level of alertness," said Gray.
Right now, those places, according to the CDC, include China, Iran, Italy, and South Korea. The CDC is currently recommending that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to these places. Japan is listed as a place the CDC is recommending older adults or those with chronic medical conditions avoid traveling to at this point. The CDC is also reminding travelers to use usual precaution in Hong Kong.
According to Delta, service between the United States and Shanghai and Beijing has been temporarily suspended, as well as a daily flight between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Milan's Malpensa Airport. These changes come after the U.S. State Department's elevated travel guidance amid coronavirus concerns. Delta is also waiving change fees. According to the airline, travelers are able to make a one-time change to travel plans without a fee if travel plans include Shanghai and Beijing, China, Seoul, South Korea, and all locations in Italy, including Bologna, Milan, Rome, Turin and Venice, through April 30.
United has also made some changes. The airline is also waiving change fees for people making changes to their travel plans to certain locations including Wuhan, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, and some cities in Northern Italy. According to the airline, service between the U.S. and Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Shanghai have been temporarily suspended, as well as some services to Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Singapore and Seoul.
For those concerned about being on a plane during the outbreak, the CDC said the risk of infection on an airplane is low According to its website, "Because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes, most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on airplanes." However, they still encourage people to stay away from sick passengers and use good hygiene.
