Delta Air Lines Allows Passengers to Change, Cancel Dominican Republic Flights

Passengers with booked flights on Delta Air Lines are being allowed to rebook or cancel their travel plans to the Dominican Republic following reports of sickness and death in the country.

Delta is offering its passengers three options in the wake of the reports. Passengers may now change flight dates, remain on the booked flight, or cancel their plans entirely.

Passengers whose flights are scheduled to land at Punta Cana, an airport in the Dominican Republic, will not pay any fees if they choose to cancel or change their flights.

Khalid Adkins, a Denver man who died Tuesday while on vacation with his daughter, is the latest case involving the country and the mysterious illnesses that have been plaguing tourists.

Adkins’ daughter, Mia, said he was experiencing pain in his leg but decided to wait to receive treatment from the hotel doctor if his symptoms worsened.

Mia returned to Denver the following day, but her father was forced off his early return flight due to excessive sweating and vomiting in the plane’s lavatory.

“They transferred him to Santo Domingo and (said) that his breathing is really bad and that his kidneys were failing,” Adkins’ daughter said.

Adkins was pronounced dead two days after he was admitted to a Santo Domingo hospital, according to reports.

The State Department confirmed the death, although the cause remains unknown. A department spokesperson told Denver7 of the confirmation Thursday but said they can offer no other information at this time.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic on June 25. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide.”

However, government officials in the Dominican Republic have reassured tourists that the country is safe and that solving the problem is a top priority.

“These cases are very regrettable, but isolated,” Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia said in a statement this month. “Investigation into them is a top priority for us and for the National Police. We are asking them to deploy all resources to help provide answers as quickly as possible.”