<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Cancun travel: What the popular vacation spot was like amid COVID"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Ready to travel again?</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Be careful when shopping for plane tickets: change fees and other fine print are back on some tickets – or will be soon.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">With vacation travel <a target="_blank" href="/story/travel/airline-news/2021/03/13/covid-travel-spring-break-flights-airport/4680925001/" rel="noopener" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a" class="gnt_ar_b_a">strongly rebounding </a>as more Americans are <a target="_blank" href="/story/news/health/2021/04/01/covid-testing-fda-vaccine-baltimore/4828739001/" rel="noopener" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a" class="gnt_ar_b_a">vaccinated against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19</a>, several airlines are eliminating travel waivers put in place when travel evaporated during the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usatoday.com/news/coronavirus/" rel="noopener" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a" class="gnt_ar_b_a">coronavirus pandemic.</a> The waivers allowed travelers to change or cancel tickets without the usual penalties to give skittish passengers confidence to buy tickets. Alaska Airlines labeled it a "peace of mind'' waiver.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">American, JetBlue and Frontier's pandemic waivers expired Wednesday, Spirit's expires Sunday and waivers at United, Delta, Alaska and Hawaiian are due to expire on April 30. Allegiant Air has an open-ended waiver, and fellow budget airline Sun Country Airlines reverted to pre-pandemic change fees last summer. Southwest Airlines does not have a basic-economy fare and has never charged change fees. </p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The good news for travelers is that those pricey change fees for many tickets are – in the words of airline executives – <a target="_blank" href="/story/travel/news/2020/08/31/delta-air-lines-united-american-drop-change-fees/3447184001/" rel="noopener" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a" class="gnt_ar_b_a">permanently gone</a>, a positive byproduct of the pandemic. </p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The bad news: The change fees and other penalties attached to cheaper tickets – those<a target="_blank" href="/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/09/28/basic-economy-those-cheaper-united-american-and-delta-fares-right-you/711085001/" rel="noopener" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a" class="gnt_ar_b_a"> no-frills basic-economy tickets </a>that took off in <a target="_blank" href="/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/09/28/basic-economy-those-cheaper-united-american-and-delta-fares-right-you/711085001/" rel="noopener" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a" class="gnt_ar_b_a">2017</a> as well as tickets on budget carriers like Frontier, Spirit and Sun Country – are coming back.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Buy a basic-economy ticket for a domestic flight on American Airlines, for example,...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2021/04/02/covid-travel-airlines-change-fees-return-cheap-tickets-american-united/4805128001/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
