What airlines, cruise lines are doing amid violence

The State Department is urging Americans not to travel to Haiti amid fresh gang violence in the country, which declared a state of emergency last week.

While neither the warnings nor violence are entirely new – Haiti has been a Level 4: Do Not Travel destination in State Department travel advisories since even before the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse – a spate of recent high-profile attacks, including an attempt by armed gangs to seize control of the country’s main international airport, has sparked renewed urgency.

“The current security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” the U.S. Embassy in Haiti said in a security alert issued Sunday. “We are aware that there are few or no commercial options to depart Haiti safely at this time. As they become available, we urge U.S. citizens to take advantage of them. The U.S. Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens is severely limited.”

The U.S. military stepped in to airlift American personnel “into and out of the Embassy” to augment security, U.S. Southern Command said Sunday in a statement to USA TODAY. Meanwhile, U.S. citizens in Haiti can fill out crisis intake forms and enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program program for updates.

Here’s what airlines and cruise lines are doing about trips to Haiti:

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Haiti violence:Military airlifts American personnel out of embassy as Haiti spirals into violence

Are there direct flights to Haiti?

Three U.S. airlines typically operate direct flights to Haiti: American, JetBlue and Spirit. However, all three have temporarily suspended service and issued travel waivers for the Caribbean destination.

◾ American Airlines customers with flights scheduled to, through, or from Port-au-Prince (PAP) through March 15 may modify flights without paying change fees. Changes must be made by March 15 with the same origin and destination cities as the original booking.

◾ JetBlue Airways is waiving change and cancellation fees for travelers with flights scheduled to and from Port-au-Prince through March 22. Customers must rebook by March 27.

◾ Spirit Airlines is waiving change fees and fare differences on travel to, from, or through Cap Haitien (CAP) and Port-au-Prince through April 15. Travelers should rebook by April 30. After that, the airline said change fees would still be waived, but fare differences may apply.

Do cruise ships still go to Haiti?

Royal Caribbean and its sister line Celebrity Cruises stop in Labadee, Haiti, a private destination about six hours away from Port-au-Prince by car.

According to Celebrity’s website, it doesn’t look like the line has any sailings scheduled there until fall, but Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas all have stops scheduled in Labadee over the next month. So far none have been canceled.