U.S. airlines offer refunds, rebooking for those blocked by Trump

Bart Jansen | USA TODAY

U.S. airlines offered to refund fares to passengers stranded or prevented from boarding flights after President Trump's executive order Friday barred citizens from seven countries from entering the United States.

Trump’s order, which is being challenged in court, immediately blocked the arrival of citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for at least 90 days. It suspended travel indefinitely for Syrians into the United States.

American, Delta and United airlines don’t fly directly to the seven countries affected by the order. The airlines, however, may handle some of those passengers on connecting flights or citizens of those countries flying from other locations.

Each of the Big 3 U.S. airlines offered refunds and help with rebooking another flight or another route.

“Crews, reservations agents and airport teams have witnessed turmoil in our airports that shows how divisive this order can be,” American CEO Doug Parker wrote in a letter to airline workers. “However, it is the current law of the U.S., and so long as that is the case, we must comply. We are doing everything we can to care for any affected customers and team members and treat them with the utmost respect.”

Such an order would typically prevent a traveler from boarding a plane overseas, but passengers who were already en route when Trump signed it faced uncertainty when they arrived in the U.S. Some travelers were detained for hours as protests with thousands of people erupted at airports across the country.

That problem should subside now that the order is in place. Airlines will be alerted when they check a traveler's passport with Customs and Border Protection to deny boarding overseas.

“Going forward we would have that information,” said Megan McCarthy, a United spokeswoman. United will offer refunds or help travelers rebook their travel, she said.

By 3 p.m. Monday, CBP instructed airlines to deny boarding for 721 people, and granted waivers for 1,059 legal permanent residents and 75 visa holders.

“This is not a travel ban, this is temporary pause that allows us to better review the existing refugee and visa vetting system," John Kelly, the secretary of Homeland Security, said at a news conference Tuesday. “This analysis is long overdue."

The issue remains contentious. U.S. District Court Judge Ann Donnelly blocked Trump’s order on Saturday. But Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Monday the court’s order was violated.

Feinstein said Sarah Yarjani, an Iranian national studying at the California Institute for Human Science in San Diego under a student visa, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport for 23 hours before U.S. officials sent her back to Europe.

“This is just one of more than 100 stories from the weekend,” Feinstein said.