Weather

Donate to disaster relief: do good get bonus miles

Donate to disaster relief; get bonus miles.

Want to help the people and communities trying to deal with the aftermath of Hurriance Florence, Tphoone Mangkhut, the flooding in western Japan, the California wildlfires and whatever comes next?

See below for campaigns United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are spearheading to  raise funds for a variety of humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.

 

United’s Crowdrise campaign is raising funds for six groups: the American Red Cross, Airlink, Global Giving (Hurricane Florence), Feeding America, Americares and Global Giving (Typhoon Mangkhut).

United has pledged to match the first $50,000 raised and to provide up to 5 million bonus miles as thank-you gifts to MileagePlus program members who pledge at least $50 or more before October 31, 2019.

Donate $50-$99  and get 250 miles; donate $100 to $249 and get 500 award miles; donate $250 or more and get 1,000 bonus award miles.

American Airlines if also offering bonus miles as a  thank-you to AAdvantage members who donate to the American Red Cross by October 5.  American is offering 10 miles for every dollar donated with a minimu donation of $25 dollars.

Through Delta Air Line’s SkyWish program SkyMiles members can donate miles to help get volunteers helping with disaster relief get where they need to be.

Whether you’d like bonus miles or have lots of extra miles to share, this is a pretty good time to be generous with your cash or your miles – or both.

Updated airline travel alerts: Hurricane Florence and others

As Hurricane Florence, and others, move in, airlines are canceling flights, updating their travel advisories.  In many cases airlines are expanding the dates change fee waivers are being offered.

Some airlines are waiving bag fees and pet fees for travelers leaving affected southeast cities and capping the prices for the last seats on certain flights.

Courtesy The Weather Channel

Courtesy The Weather Channel

Here are live links to the updated travel advisories from many domestic airlines. Many International airlines with flights into the affected areaas are canceling flights and offering waivers as well

As of Wednesday morning, September 12, here are some of the airlines that have posted notices.

These likely aren’t all the airlines adjusting schedules and suggesting passengers wait until the storms blow over. And it’s very possible that the dates these waivers cover will change as the hurricanes blow through.

If you’re flying somewhere this week be sure to check with you airline before heading to the airport. Airports may say they are open, but all their scheduled flights are canceled. Read the rules for refunds and pay attention to the dates covered. Most airlines are offering no-fee refunds and waived changed fees for flights that are rebooked for another time.

Alaska Airlines: A travel alert is posted for flights to or from Charleston (CHS) and Raleigh-Durham (DUR) for those with flights through September 16. Alaska also has an advisory for its flights to and from Hawaii, due to Hurricane Olivia.

American Airlines has a travel advistory posted covering 23 airports in the southeastern United States for those with tickets through September 16. American also has travel advisories posted for flights to an from Hawaii due to Hurricane Olivia and to the Caribbean due to Hurricane Isaac.

Delta Air Lines has travel alerts posted for more than a dozen southeast U.S. airports for travel scheduled through September 16 due to Hurricane  Florence,  for flights to or from various airports in Hawaii due to Tropical Storm Olivia and for flights to the Caribbean due to Hurricane Isaac.

Seven southeast airports are affected by the travel alert posted by Frontier Airlines 

Tropical Storm Olivia is affecting flights for Hawaiian Airlines, which has posted travel waivers as well.

The travel advisory for JetBlue affects flights to and from eight east coast airports through September 16.

Southwest Airlines’ travel alert covers 9 east coast airports its expects to be affected by Hurricane Florence through September 17 and . The airline is also offering travel waivers for San Juan Puerto Rico (SJU) and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (SJU) due to Hurricane Isaac.

United Airlines’ travel fee waiver covers 16 airlines in the southeast U.S. due to Hurricane Florence. Travel alerts remain posted for the airlines’ flights to and from Hawaiian airports and for flights affected by Hurricane Isaac.

Hurricane Florence and others mucking up air travel

Hurricane Florence – and several other hurricanes and tropical storms – are mucking up air travel and causing airlines to issue change fee waivers.

Hurricane Florence

Courtesy National Hurricane Center

Airlines are posting travel alerts and issuing change fee waivers for passengers with flights over the next few days to and from the east coast due to Hurricane Florence and to, from or within Hawaii due to Hurricane Olivia. Hurricane Issac, typhoons and other storms are disrupting travel elsewhere.

As of Monday evening, September 10, here are some of the airlines that have posted notices.

These likely aren’t all the airlines adjusting schedules and suggesting passengers wait until the storms blow over. And it’s very possible that the dates these waivers cover will change as the hurricanes blow through.

If you’re flying somewhere this week be sure to check with you airline before heading to the airport. Read the rules for refunds and pay attention to the dates covered. Most airlines are offering no-fee refunds and waived changed fees for flights that are rebooked for another time.

Alaska Airlines: A travel alert is posted for flights to or from Charleston (CHS) and Raleigh-Durham (DUR) for those with flights September 10 -September 16.

American Airlines has a travel advistory posted covering 23 airports in the southeastern United States for those with tickets for flights September 10 – September 16.

Delta Air Lines has travel alerts posted for a dozen southeast U.S. airports where flights may be affected by Hurricane  Florence and for flights to or from various airports in Hawaii due to Tropical Storm Olivia.

Olivia has also caused Hawaiian Airlines to offer one-time waivers for its flights on September 11 and 12 for flights to or from Hawaii.

The travel advisory for JetBlue affects its flights to and from Charleston (CHS), Charlotte (CLT), Raleigh/Durham (RDU), Richmond, VA (RIC) and Savannah, GA.

Southwest Airlines’ travel alert covers 9 east coast airports its expects to be affected by Hurricane Florence:  BWI, Charleston (CHS), Charlotte (CLT), Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP), Norfolk/Virginia Beach (ORF), Raleigh/Durham (RDU), Richmond (RIC), Washingtin Dulles (IAD) and Washington Reagan National (DCA). The airline is also offering travel waivers for San Juan Puerto Rico (SJU) and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (SJU) due to Hurricane Isaac.

United Airlines’ travel fee waiver covers 16 airlines in the southeast U.S. due to Hurricane Florence and the Hawaiian airports it flies to and from due to Hurriance Olivia.

 

Airlines offer change fee waivers for Hurricane Lane

Airlines are posting and updating travel alerts and offering change fee waivers for travel to/from the Hawaiian Islands as Hurrican Lane moves in.

Here are links to change fee waiver policies of airlines in effect as of today for flights to and from Hawaii:

Alaska Airlines: Waiving change fees and the difference in the price of the ticket for travel booked to or from Kauai (LIH), Kona (KOA), Maui (OGG) and Oahu (HNL) for tickets purchased on or before August 21, if travel is completed on or before August 30, 2018.

American Airlines: No change fee for flights to or from Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL), Kona, Hawaii (KOA), Kauai Island, Hawaii (LIH) and Kahului, Hawaii (OGG) for tickets purchased by or before August 20 if you’re scheduled to travel August 23 to 26. New travel must take place by August 30.

For travel scheduled August 23 and 24,  to or from Seoul, Korea (ICN), Honulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), LIhue (LIH) and Maui (OGG), Delta Air Lines is offering change fee waivers for trips scheduled August 23 and 24. New travel must take place by August 27.

Hawaiian Airlines, as you may imagine, is keeping its site updated with news about the hurricane’s impact and has very detailed information about change fee waivers and rules posted.

Several other airlines, including United Airlines, have issued alerts for trips to and Hawaii as well. As always, if you’ve got a trip planned, keep an eye on your airline’s website and Twitter feed for the latest details.

 

Airlines offering waivers to/from Hawaii’s Big Island

Courtesy USGS

Don’t cancel that Hawaiian vacation just yet.

Although there’s increased volcanic activity and a new flow of lava from the Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawaii (the Big Island), the Hawaii Tourism Authority website is reassuring visitors that no flights into airports anywhere in Hawai‘i are being affected and that the area where the lava is coming to the surface is very far from resort areas.

For updates, photos and webcam views of the volcano activities, see the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) website.

That’s the good news.

The bad news: due to the volcanic activity there is a no-fly zone over Kīlauea volcano and on Friday Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park was closed until further notice because of damage caused by earthquakes and aftershocks in the area.

So helicopter tours and visit to the park are out.

There’s still plenty to do on the Big Island, but some airlines are offering travel waivers for those who don’t want to head that way right now.

For those with tickets issued on or before May 3 and scheduled to travel to/from Hilo (ITO) or Kona (KOA) on  Hawaiian Airlines through May 13, the airline is offering change fee waivers for flights no later than May 20,

United Airlines is offering to waive change fees for those traveling to/from or through the Hilo (ITO) and Kailua-Kona (KOA) airports for those with tickets for travel through May 13 for new flights departing on or before May 16.

Other airlines flying to Hawaii may post waivers later today and this, of course, is a changing situation, so be sure to check your airline’s website and the USGS alerts for current news.