Consumers wary about upcoming trips to the Caribbean island should rebook sooner rather than later, experts say.
Airlines have started to provide consumers with flight-change fee waivers and refunds for flights to the Dominican Republic as concerns have mounted following a string of tourist deaths in the Caribbean nation.
Since April, nine American tourists have died after falling ill while vacationing at resorts in the Dominican Republic, and many more have reported becoming gravely sick during their trips. The State Department has said that it has not noted an unusual uptick in deaths in the Caribbean country.Nevertheless, there were similarities in the circumstances around some of the deaths, leading some to think that the individuals may have been poisoned.
American Airlines AAL, +2.19% United Airlines UAL, +1.29% and Sun Country Airlines APO, +2.18% will review customer requests to change or cancel Dominican Republic itineraries on a case-by-case basis. A spokesperson for Sun Country said that if the airline decides to allow consumers to switch their flight to another destination it will waive change fees, but differences in fares would still apply.
JetBlue Airways JBLU, +0.94% Air Canada ACDVF, +3.09% and Frontier Airlines did not return requests for comment.Don’t expect trip insurance to cover a canceled trip to the Dominican Republic Those who are unable to obtain a fee waiver or refund shouldn’t necessarily expect travel insurance to be of assistance in this case.
However, an upgrade policy allows cancellations for any reason. Squaremouth has seen a 113% increase in the number of travelers purchasing this upgrade for upcoming trips to the Dominican Republic since tourist deaths began attracting headlines in April.
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