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Airlines give Mexico travelers more time to change plans

BY KEITH HERBERT | keith.herbert@newsday.com

10:39 PM EDT, April 30, 2009

Delta Air Lines customers have until May 16 to change travel plans to Mexico without paying a $150 fee, the airline announced Thursday.

Vanessa Martinez, 38, of Huntington Station, planned to travel to Mexico City May 7. Under Delta's old cutoff date of May 6, she would have had to pay $1,200 to change eight tickets.

"Now I can reschedule my vacation," Martinez said.

Yesterday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wrote to airline executives asking them to extend their penalty waivers until June 1.

There will be "no significant" improvement in the Mexico outbreak before then, said Gillibrand spokesman Matt Canter.

Gillibrand wrote to Delta, Northwest, American, Continental, US Airways, United, Jet Blue and other airlines. Each has set a date of May 15 or 16 to change a ticket without a penalty fee.

None had changed their waiver dates as of yesterday, Canter said.

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