Amid a coronavirus outbreak in China, Delta Air Lines is waiving change fees for travelers with flights booked to China.
Delta on Friday said it is allowing travelers with flights booked to, from or through Beijing or Shanghai until Jan. 31 to change their itineraries without paying a change fee.
Delta operates nonstop flights from Atlanta to Shanghai, and flies from other U.S. cities to Beijing and Shanghai.
The change fee waiver announcement follows Delta’s notice on Thursday that it is allowing passengers with flights booked to Wuhan, China to change their travel plans.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a second case of coronavirus in the United States.
The CDC has issued a level 3 travel advisory, recommending travelers avoid nonessential travel to Wuhan. Delta says it is in contact with the CDC and is following the agency’s guidelines.
The outbreak has prompted Chinese authorities to lock down some cities, including Wuhan, where the virus first appeared, to try to contain it.
"Due to the health situation in Wuhan, China (WUH), Delta is offering flexibility to any customer with a future trip which includes WUH in the itinerary," Delta posted on its website Thursday. "Please contact Delta Reservations to make changes to your travel plans."
Atlanta-based Delta does not operate its own flights to Wuhan, but offers flights operated by airline partners including China Eastern.
Coronaviruses can cause respiratory illness that ranges from mild, with fever and coughing, to severe, with pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it will begin screening passengers who arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from China.
The public health entry screenings were already underway at San Francisco International, New York’s John F. Kennedy International and Los Angeles International airports, and start this week at the Atlanta airport and Chicago O’Hare.
