SARS affects the health of air travel

Changes in Airline policies and schedules

In addition to war in Iraq, SARS is plaguing the well being of some airlines, or at least certain destinations to which airlines fly. Here is a brief rundown of some of the airlines affected and what is happening to their flights in light of the rapid spread of SARS:

• Cathay Pacific is reducing its services within Asia by four percent. The temporary reduction in its flight schedule affects eight Asian destinations commencing in mid-April until the end of May.
• Air Canada is permitting passengers who are scheduled to travel to Asia to rebook without change fees. Travel must be completed by June 30th, but this could change should SARS continue to be a problem.
• In Singapore the government has medical teams available to check for SARS in passengers arriving on flights from China and Toronto.
• Qantas (Australia) is reducing its international flights by a further 20 percent from April until July citing the war with Iraq and the further complication of SARS.

One of the great problems with SARS is that so much remains unknown. In already uncertain air travel times, its appearance on the global stage is further driving down air travel demand. As a passenger traveling in the next few months it will be important to constantly check the policies of the airlines you will be traveling with, and making sure that flight schedule changes do not leave you with uncertain travel plans.