TORONTO — Sunwing is letting passengers and agents know that all southbound flights March 17 – April 9 are cancelled and that it is shifting its focus to repatriation flights as it works to bring Canadians home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sunwing currently has some 100,000 passengers in destination.

The first four rescue flights, three from Toronto and one from Montreal, flew home 500+ Canadians from vacation destinations in Honduras, Aruba, Panama and St. Maarten yesterday. All of these countries have announced the imminent closure of their borders.

Sunwing says it is working closely with the governments of all its destinations, in collaboration with Canadian government authorities, to continue repatriation flights in the days ahead.

“The health and well-being of our customers and our employees is our highest priority and we are working around the clock to keep them safe. It’s important that we do our part to contain the spread of COVID-19, while assuring our customers and their families that we are fully committed to bring each and every one of them home to Canada,” said Stephen Hunter, President and CEO, Sunwing Travel Group.

All Sunwing passengers within the March 17 – April 9 window of flight cancellations will be eligible for a full cash refund or future travel credit. Customers who opt for the future travel credit can receive an additional $100 per person to use towards a future booking.

Here are the latest updates for Sunwing:

DEPARTURE DATES: March 17 – April 9

UPDATE: Sunwing is suspending all southbound flights March 17 – April 9.

TERMS: Customers are eligible to receive a refund in the original method of payment or a future travel credit. Customers who opt for a travel credit will receive an additional $100 per person to be used towards a future booking.

RE-BOOKING: To redeem the additional $100 travel credit per person, booking must be made at least 30 days prior to departure.

DEPARTURE DATES: April 10 to April 30

TERMS: Customers can cancel and receive a future travel credit in the value of the original package price paid.

RE-BOOKING: The credit can be redeemed against future travel for departures up to and including March 31, 2021.

DEPARTURE DATES: May 1, 2020 onwards

TERMS: Standard terms and conditions apply to changes and cancellations.

On its website Sunwing has a dedicated page with real time updates along with options for deferring or cancelling travel plans. Online forms are available as well plus information for group bookings and also bookings with cancellation insurance.