Travel alerts

Airports and airlines brace for Hurricane Milton

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First, it was Hurricane Helene. Now Hurricane Milton is heading toward Central Florida and is expected to arrive with vengeance midweek.

Airlines are already canceling flights, posting travel advisories and offering fee waivers for flight changes.

Airports are issuing operational updates and reminding travelers that they are not public shelters.

Here are the policies and status announcements we spotted on Sunday evening.

If you are traveling this week, be sure to check (and recheck) for flight changes.

The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) issued a statement saying that it was waiting for evacuation orders from Pinellas County officials before deciding when to close the airport, but that all flights in or out of PIE on Allegiant were already canceled on Wed (Oct 9) and Thurs (Oct 10).

Airline travel alerts ahead of Hurricane Milton

Here are the links to travel alerts and change fee policies for airlines ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival. They’re likely be updated as the storm arrives.

Alaska Airlines

Allegiant  Air

American Airlines. The alert covers travel to, from or through at least a dozen Florida airports.

Delta Air Lines. 8 airports are part of the travel alert.

Frontier Airlines. 7 airports are part of the airline’s travel advisory.

JetBlue Airways. 4 airports are covered by the travel alert.

Southwest Airlines‘ travel alert is for four Florida airports.

and 5 airports are included in the travel alert issued by United Airlines.

Airlines offer travel advisories/waivers for weather & 737-9 MAX inspections

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Between the storms in many regions of the country and the grounding of all Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft for inspection, there are a lot of flight cancellations, schedule disruptions, and airline travel alerts.

Here are links to the current travel advisories and waivers (as of early Tuesday, January 9, 2024) in effect for some of the major airlines. Be sure to check your airline’s website for the latest updates on these advisories,

Alaska Airlines

On its website, Alaska Airlines is advising travelers that due to Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft inspections and winter weather in the Northeast, they are offering a flexible travel policy for travelers who want to change or cancel their flights. Original travel dates include January 9.

American Airlines

American Airlines has a travel alert for close to 60 cities that may be affected by severe weather in the Eastern US and Canada. The airline will waive your change fee if you traveling in any fare class and are scheduled to fly January 9-10 and can travel instead January 9 – 15. See here for more details on American Airlines’ travel advisory.

Delta Air Lines

for Delta Air Lines has travel advisories posted for winter weather in the Midwest that may affect more than two dozen airports and as many in the Northeastern U.S.

JetBlue

JetBlue has also issued travel alerts for winter weather in the Midwest and the Northeastern US.

In the Midwest, the airline will waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling through January 9 to or from Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Kansas City (MCI), Milwaukee (MKE), and Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP). The travel alert covers about 15 airports in the Northeast. Customers may rebook their flights through January 13.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has travel alerts posted for the Midwest and the East Coast.

United Airlines

For those scheduled to fly on a Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane, United Airlines offers these options:

You can reschedule your trip and have the change fees and fare differences waived. Your new flight must be a United flight departing by January 18, 2024. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked. Trips rebooked after January 18, 2024, will still have the change fee waived, but there may be a fare difference. Cancelling and getting a full refund is also an option.

Hurricane Ian Still Tormenting Travel

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Courtesy The Weather Channel

Hurricane Ian was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane late Wednesday evening, but that doesn’t mean the travel woes that wild weather brings are ended.

Early Thursday morning, FlightAware listed close to 2,000 flight cancellations within, into, or out of the United States. Not surprisingly, the airports with the most canceled flights were in Florida and the southeast.

A handful of airports remain closed for commercial operations

Orlando International Airport (MCO) ceased commercial operations Wednesday morning but remains open to open to accept emergency/aid and relief flights, if necessary. In preparation for Ian’s arrival, airport personnel tied down the jet bridges and covered the ticket counters. The airport’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is in full activation. And, depending on damage assessment, commercial operations are expected to resume Friday, MCO said in a statement.

Here are some of the other airports that closed in advance of Hurricane Ian’s arrival.

Airports open, with delays & cancellations.

Key West International Airport (EYW) plans to reopen at 7am on Thursday, September 29.

Airlines offering alerts and travel waivers

Here are links to the travel alerts and travel waiver offers from many domestic airlines. Many now cover flights to, from, or through airports in cities throughout Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

If you’ve got a flight scheduled, be sure to keep checking back.

Alaska Airlines

American Airlines

Delta Air Lines

Frontier Airlines

JetBlue

Spirit Airlines

Southwest Airlines

United Airlines

Winter storm Xylia dumps snow, cancels flights

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Snowflake

Winter won’t go away just yet. Winter storm Xylia wreaked havoc with roads and air traffic in the midwest over the weekend. More than two feet of snow fell at Denver International Airport as of 6 p.m. on Sunday evening.

More than 2000 flights in and out of DEN were canceled over the weekend, with hundreds more already canceled for Monday.

Here are some of the images DEN shared on Twitter on Sunday

If you do have a flight scheduled through DEN or other airports in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska, here are links to the storm-related travel alerts and flight change rules posted by airlines.

Alaska Airlines

American Airlines

Delta Air Lines

Frontier Airlines

https://twitter.com/FlyFrontier/status/1371275788662804485?s=20

JetBlue

Southwest Airlines

United Airlines

Airports, airlines, travelers brace for winter weather

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Tough traveling this Thanksgiving

Severe winter storms are already wreaking havoc with Thanksgiving travel plans across the country.

Denver International and many other airports are taking out their snowplows and de-icing gear and advising travelers to be sure to check the status of their flights before leaving home.

Many airlines are offering fee-free flight changes, waivers on fare differences for rebooked flights and refunds left and right.

In some cases, they are encouraging passengers to switch to flights leaving a day or two early.

At 9 p.m. on the west coast, these are some of the airlines issuing travel alerts. No doubt there will be updates and more alerts by morning and over the next few days. So, if you’re scheduled to fly anytime over this holiday, be sure to check your airline’s website and sign up for alerts about your flight.

American Airlines has a travel alert for passengers scheduled to fly November 27 to/through or from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Delta Air Lines has travel advisories posted for flights to, from or through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on November 27 as well.

Frontier Airlines has canceled many flights through Denver and Colorado Springs, CO on Tuesday, November 26. Advisories for rebooking and refunds are on their site.

JetBlue has posted travel alerts for flights in and out of Denver International Airport on Tuesday, November 26.

Southwest Airlines is warning customers that flight schedules may be “disrupted,” as in delayed, diverted, and/or canceled on Tuesday, November 26 in Denver and on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 26 and 27 through Minneapolis/St. Paul.

United Airlines’ winter weather alert also applies to flights in and out of Denver on Tuesday 26.

Bottom line: even if the weather looks great where you are – or where you’re headed to, bad weather in other parts of the country can still disrupt your travels. Check flights, check again and, as always, pack lots of patience when you go to the airport this time of year.