Airline seats to Mexico easy to come by

(AP) - Flu concerns are apparently keeping U.S. tourists out of Mexico.

A check by The Associated Press finds that some planes were nearly empty Wednesday on U.S.-to-Mexico routes. Houston-based Continental Airlines said fewer than half the available seats were booked on six flights Wednesday night.

One Continental flight from Houston to Cancun had reservations for just five of the 157 available seats. Of the 124 seats on a flight from Newark, N.J. to mexico City, 93 were unfilled just minutes before its scheduled departure.

Continental spokesman Dave Messing said flights heading back north, on the other hand, have been full.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines reports some of its passengers have been changing travel plans or requesting refunds but describes it as nothing unexpected. And the airline said it is flying its normal schedule for now.

Empty planes flying to Mexico would not be a surprise because the U.S. has warned Americans to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.