Don’t Let The Swine Flu Steal Your Vacation!
The initial Swine Flu alarm, exacerbated in part by the media, has died down as businesses in Mexico reopen and the United States officially reverses a mandate that required schools with even one infected student be shut down. It appears now that the “H1H1” virus may not be nearly as potent and is less likely to lead to a pandemic (infecting up to 2 billion people worldwide).
The newest numbers report total global deaths at 53 —- 48 in Mexico, one in Costa Rica…and three in the U.S. To put that in perspective, each year about 36,000 people in the U.S. alone die from the regular flu.
However, as President Obama echoed in a recent speech, “We’re not out of the woods yet.” Health experts from the World Health Organization caution that the virus is capable of evolving into a real killer as we move into flu season this Fall.
The swine flu has definitely made travelers nervous, particularly while captive in the confines of airline cabins. In fact, I was just in LAX last week and experienced a bit of anxiety myself when I saw dozens of people donning face-masks to protect themselves from this human-to-human transmitted disease.
That being said, we think it’s premature to encourage travelers to push the panic button and stop flying altogether, but it’s important to stay on top of the latest threats and to particularly know your options when flying to Mexico (although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that only 10% of Americans with Swine Flu contracted it on trips to Mexico).
First and foremost, be sure to keep up with the latest information releases from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Currently, the WHO is not recommending any travel restrictions related to the swine flu, although it has been confirmed in 30 countries.
If you have booked a ticket to Mexico already, most of the airlines have released lenient policies for exchanging/canceling/postponing plans that waive the change fees. Most of the major hotels (including Starwood, Marriott, IHG and Hyatt) are also waiving cancellation or change fees. Pay special attention to their date restrictions because they vary by supplier:
Air Tran
American
Continental
Delta
Frontier
United
US Airways
On the bright side, corporate travel is picking up despite the flu scare, according to Andrea Shpall, President of Polk Majestic Travel Group, which specializes in corporate travel. She predicts that travel will be much better in the second half of this year because corporations are realizing that travel is good for business. We couldn’t agree more. So get out there and take a vacation….just remember to cover your mouth when you cough!
