Cruise lines cancel Mexico stops; air travel also affected by swine-flu outbreak

Laid off from his job with Washington Mutual a month ago, Art Den-Heyer of Snoqualmie was planning to get away from it all with a sunny cruise to Mexico.

He and his wife, Kelly, still will sail away Sunday from the Southern California port of Long Beach, but their ship will head north to San Francisco, Victoria, B.C. — and Seattle.

Their cruise line, Royal Caribbean, and other major cruise lines have canceled dozens of port calls in Mexico this week and next, shifting the ships to U.S. ports — including small Astoria, Ore., — or adding extra days at sea because of the country's swine-flu outbreak. It's part of the major upheaval that the disease has brought, foiling vacation and business travel and decimating Mexico's $13 billion-a-year tourism industry.

"I guess I'll give the other passengers some tips on what to see in Seattle," said Art Den-Heyer. "And we won't be wearing our bathing suits much."

U.S. airlines still are flying as usual to Mexico, but cuts in flights could come soon. Many travelers are canceling or delaying trips after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control earlier this week advised Americans to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.

Continental Airlines is experiencing a "significant" drop in travel demand, spokeswoman Julie King said, and the airline could trim flights. It has more than 500 flights a week to Mexico, the most of any U.S. carrier.

Air Canada already has suspended flights to Mexican beach resorts, including Cancun, until June 1 as demand has sunk amid the flu concerns. Charter airlines and tour operators also have canceled.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines has dozens of flight to Mexico each week, including to Mexico City and beach resorts. "We're certainly seeing cancellations," Alaska spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said Thursday but, like most airlines, Alaska declined to specify numbers.

To protect the health of passengers and crew, Alaska Airlines has removed pillows and blankets from all its flights, said Egan. It also has increased the cleansing of planes serving Mexico, using a powerful, virus-killing disinfectant on everything from seat-belt buckles and trays to lavatories.

Like other airlines, Alaska staff are monitoring passengers boarding flights in Mexico for signs of illness and won't allow anyone who appears to have the flu to board. So far, the airline hasn't denied boarding to anyone, Eagan said.

At the Mexico City airport, cameras that monitor the body temperature of passengers are being installed, government authorities said Thursday. Those with a high temperature wouldn't be allowed to fly.

Some material from Bloomberg News was used in this report.