JetBlue Allowing Free Cancellations, Changes on New Bookings Because of Coronavirus

JetBlue on Wednesday said that it would be allowing free changes and cancellations on new bookings without penalty because of coronavirus concerns.

“Due to evolving coronavirus concerns, we are suspending change and cancel fees for all new flights bookings made between February 27, 2020 and March 11, 2020 for travel through June 1, 2020.”

JetBlue said it was making the move to allow customers to “book with confidence on jetblue.com and jetbluevacations.com” and “know that changes or cancellations will be allowed without penalty should the situation change.”

JetBlue told TMR that the policy also applies to any new booking made through a travel agent or agency, as well.

JetBlue is the first U.S. airline to adopt a policy like this for all of its routes. JetBlue mainly serves routes to areas not currently suffering a widespread impact from coronavirus, including those areas that have been added to the CDC and State Department’s travel advisory list like China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, and Hong Kong.

But JetBlue is still making the move to help encourage travelers to continue making new bookings to its destinations, whether that’s the Caribbean, South America, or domestic flights in North America.

"While authorities have not issued any travel restrictions to the locations we fly, we want to give our customers some peace of mind that we are ready to support them should the situation change,” Joanna Geraghty, the president and COO of JetBlue said in a statement announcing the news.