Orlando, Fla. / Following a call to action to U.S. airlines from family practitioner Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos for a change in cancellation and rescheduling fees for people with documented cases of H1N1 to curb the spread of the disease, Haridopolos today saluted Orlando-based AirTran for its policy of waiving penalties for passengers who can provide documentation they have the H1N1 virus.

"AirTran will waive cancellation fees for any passenger who has a doctor's note documenting they have H1N1," an AirTran spokesperson confirmed in an email.  "Our reservation agents are trained to handle passengers with H1N1."

“This is great news,” says Dr. Haridopolos. “More air carriers need to follow suit.”

Dr. Haridopolos appeared on MSNBC’s Dr. Nancy show last week to highlight the issue and was also interviewed by CNN.com, WTSP (CBS) in Tampa, WESH in Orlando and several other news outlets.

“Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times for airlines,” says the Orlando family practitioner. “If passengers are trying to do the responsible thing and cancel a ticket to protect other people from infection, they should not be penalized with a fee.”

Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos is represented by The Publicity Agency, which has offices in Tampa, Los Angeles and Chicago. For more information, please visit www.thepublicityagency.com.

AirTran Cancellation Policy:  "AirTran will waive cancellation and rescheduling fees for passengers who have documentation from a doctor stating they have H1N1."

Media Contacts:
Kimberly Polacek
PR Firm: The Publicity Agency
Email:  kpolacek@seligmultimedia.com
Phone: (813) 708-1220 x 7780
Web site: www.thepublicityagency.com

Justin Herndon
PR Firm: The Publicity Agency
Email:  justin@thepublicityagency.com
Phone: (813) 708-1220 x 7778 or (813) 528-6815
Web site: www.thepublicityagency.com