I sure wish the airlines were a lot more transparent on their websites when it comes to flying with H1N1 – what we used to call, swine flu. More on this in just a bit.

First, here’s why “too sick to fly” folks may be out of luck:

Is your ticket non-refundable?

If you got a “good deal”, chances are it is – the cheapest tickets are almost always non-refundable. And non-refundable means just that – usually, you don’t get your money back and typically will only get back a portion of your purchase price in the form of a future purchase voucher.

So if you get sick, what can you do?

First, you must contact the airline in question before departure and let them know you aren’t going to make it, or you will lose all the residual value of your original ticket.

Or, you can change your ticket – and in both cases be charged a “change fee” of up to $150 will be removed from the purchase price.

What if you are sick with H1N1? I checked the websites of 10 popular airlines for an official policy statement regarding this well-publicized health threat and the results are posted below:

I queried 10 airline websites using the following Google searches: “site:airlinesite.com h1n1 refund” and “site:airlinesite.com swine flu refund“

Here is what I found:

1. AA.com – No official mention of a policy, $150 domestic change fee applies
2. AirTran.com – No official mention of a policy, $75 domestic change fee applies
3. AlaskaAir.com – No official mention of a policy, $50-$75 domestic change fee applies
4. Continental.com – No official mention of a policy, $150 domestic change fee applies
5. Delta.com – No official mention of a policy, $150 domestic change fee applies, however there is a blog post (not official post) from early May referring to an CNN interview that states a full refund will be given
6. JetBlue.com – No official mention of a policy, $100 domestic change fee applies
7. Nwa.com – No official mention of a policy, $150 domestic change fee applies
8. Southwest.com – No official mention of a policy, No change fee applies
9. United.com – No official mention of a policy, $150 domestic change fee applies
10. USAirways.com – No official mention of a policy, $150 domestic change fee applies

Using a broader Google search (outside the carrier websites) with terms “H1N1″ and “swine flu”, I did find a little more information – for example, AirTran, Delta and United will work with passengers on a case-by-case basis and, if they have a doctor’s note, they may get “change fees” waived. Note I said, “may” and these were in articles quoting airline representatives and not “official” statements.

You will also have to pay the going price for your new ticket purchase and you will be able to deduct your previous purchased price minus the change fee penalty of up to $150.

I would suggest contacting any airline if you need to cancel because of extenuating circumstances like illness, because it never hurts to ask, and you may get help. Unfortunately, this information – as I noted – is hard to come by on airline websites.

If more fliers knew that H1N1 – or any illness, for that matter – could cost them a lot of money in terms of trip disruption, they might be more willing to shell out for the trip insurance many airlines make available – or, they might be more willing to seek out “refundable” tickets. [Note on trip insurance: read the policy carefully! Make sure it covers what you need it to cover].

In the meantime, the Latin phrase “caveat emptor” seems to rule, at least when it comes to non-refundable tickets. Translation: “let the buyer beware”.