Major US airlines refunding tickets for passengers with elevated temperatures amid pandemic
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are all participating
Seven major airlines in the U.S. have pledged to refund tickets for any passenger who is denied boarding by the Transportation Security Administration if they are found to have an elevated temperature amid the coronavirus health crisis, the carrier’s trade union said.
Member carriers Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines will all issue refunds for customers if they are found to have a high temperature by the federal agency during the security screening process, Airlines for America (A4A) announced on Thursday.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALK | ALASKA AIR GROUP INC. | 52.60 | -0.08 | -0.15% |
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 14.52 | -0.12 | -0.82% |
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 63.82 | +0.20 | +0.31% |
| HA | NO DATA AVAILABLE | - | - | - |
| JBLU | JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 5.97 | +0.01 | +0.17% |
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 32.36 | 0.00 | 0.00% |
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 96.83 | +0.48 | +0.50% |
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The A4A members will follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance on elevated temperatures, which the public health institute defines as those of 100.4 degrees F or higher.
The trade union has previously urged the TSA to add temperature checks to standard security screenings for the traveling public at airports amid the global outbreak of COVID-19 – though the TSA has yet to mandate such a step.
“Temperature checks are one of several public health measures recommended by the CDC amid the COVID-19 pandemic and will add an extra layer of protection for passengers as well as airline and airport employees,” A4A explained in a statement on Thursday.
The trade union has previously urged the TSA to add temperature checks to standard security screenings for the traveling public amid the global outbreak of COVID-19 – though the TSA has yet to adopt such a step. (iStock)
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“Temperature checks also will provide additional public confidence that is critical to relaunching air travel and our nation's economy.”
All seven carriers also recently agreed to more seriously promote and enforce the use of face masks for passengers while in transit.
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