COVID-19: Airline Rebooking & Cancellation Policies for Jamaicans Stuck Abroad

I’m like you. I am one of the thousands of Jamaicans left stranded overseas due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic. I’ve been stuck in some foreign land since March 2020 and unable to return home to Jamaica since the borders were closed. I also have a dwindling visa ready to expire any time soon. Since then, I’ve searched the internet trying to decipher how to find a flight, book a flight, change or cancel a flight. So I thought, if I’m struggling with this then so are you. Here’s a list of COVID19 airline rebooking and cancellation policies for Jamaicans stuck abroad.

If you’re not Jamaican, these policies can still apply to you as these airlines offer rebooking and cancellation updates for all their passengers worldwide!

01. American Airlines

Info as at June 6, 2020

American Airlines will waive change fees for tickets booked by June 30, 2020 for travel by September 30, 2020. Travellers are also able to redeposit their miles, cash refunds are unlikely.

You can change your origin port and destination as well. You must pay any difference in cost between original flight and the rebooked flight. Travellers can rebook once and fees will be waived; you may be subject to paying fees if you rebook the flight several times.

For more information: See the full American Airlines policy here.

02. Air Canada

Info as at June 6, 2020

Air Canada allows you to make a one-time change without incurring fees for any bookings made through June 30, 2020 for original travel between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. If you plan to change your flight then you must do this new travel by June 30, 2022.

If you want to cancel your flight, then you can convert the value of your ticket to an Air Canada Travel Voucher (fully transferrable and never expires) or to Aeroplan Miles with an additional 65% bonus miles as of June 1, 2020. No change fee will apply.

For more information: See the full Air Canada policy here.

03. Caribbean Airlines

Last Updated as of May 26, 2020

You can re-book your Caribbean Airlines flight without being charged a fee for all tickets starting with the number 106 issued on or before July 15, 2020. Original travel dates must be between February 3, 2020 and August 30, 2020, and new travel itineraries must be completed within one year of original ticket issue date. You may be required to pay the difference in cost for the fare of the rebooked flight.

For more information: See the full Caribbean Airlines policy here.

04. Delta

Updated as of May 28, 2020

Change fees and Award redeposit fees for travel impacted by coronavirus pandemic are being waived by Delta. This applies to travel departing March through September 30, 2020, as well as all tickets purchased between March 1 and June 30, 2020.

If there is a difference in the cost of the fare of the original flight and rebooked flight then you will pay if the new fare is higher or be given an eCredit if the new fare is lower than the original fare.

For more information: See the full Delta policy here.

05. JetBlue

Last Updated: June 5, 2020 9:00 a.m. ET

JetBlue will waive change fees if you book a flight or change your flight before June 30, 2020. If you cancel your flight, funds will be issued as a JetBlue Travel Bank Credit, valid for 24 months from the date of issuance. You may have to pay the difference in fare between the original ticket and the new price.

However, if JetBlue cancels your flight and you had a confirmed reservation at time of cancellation then:

• you are eligible to travel on the next available JetBlue flight at no additional charges
• or you may receive refund as JetBlue travel credit or
• you may receive a refund to the original form of payment if your flight cannot be rebooked within 2 hours

For more information: See the full JetBlue policy here.

06. Southwest

Updated April 16, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. CT.

First, you need to know that flights from the USA to Montego Bay on Southwest will not resume before July 1, 2020. That being said, Southwest has a long-standing policy of not charging change or cancellation fees but the following updates apply based on the coronavirus pandemic:

Customers may cancel or change their itinerary for no fee. Those who purchased a nonrefundable ticket will be issued a travel credit. Any existing travel credits you have with SouthWest that were originally set to expire between March 1 and September 7, 2020 will be extended to expire on September 7, 2022 instead. 

For more information: See the full Southwest policy here.

07. Spirit Airline

Sprint Airline is waiving change and cancellation fees if you book new travel, change your itinerary, or cancel your flight by Tuesday, June 30th 2020. A travel credit valid for 12 months from date of ticket issue will be given for changed itineraries or cancelled flights.

Sprint is encouraging passengers, however, to cancel their flights first instead of simply changing the itinerary. If you change your itinerary without canceling first then you will be responsible to pay a fare difference, or will be issued a credit for the difference if the new itinerary costs less than the original one.

If Sprint cancels your flight then you may qualify for a refund to your credit card (unclear if other payment methods will have a smooth refund process). 

For more information: See the full Spirit Airlines policy here.

Please make sure to read each airline’s rebooking and cancellation policies (link provided) in detail before making any cancellations or changes to your ticket.

Since June 1, 2020 the Jamaican borders are open to Jamaicans who want to return home.

If there are any other airlines you want to know about, tell me in the comments and I will update this article!

I hope this summary offers you some help with your flights!