Travel alerts

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

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Snowflake

Polar vortex, arctic chill, super cold weather or just brrrrrr.

Whatever you label it, sub-zero temperatures and weather woes associated with Winter Storm Jayden are causing schools, shopping centers, and goverment offices in the midwest to close and forcing airlines to cancel flights.

The Weather Channel is warning of dangerously cold conditions and warning folks in the Midwest to brace for temperatures to be (and feel like) colder than in “at least two decades.”

On Tuesday evening, FlightAware’s Misery Map was showing flight delays at some east coast airports ranging from an hour (DCA) to more than two-and-a-half hours (EWR) and cancellations for the day at over 1,400.

Wednesday’s outlook doesn’t look any better. As of 10 pm on Tuesday evening, FlightAware showed that more than 1,500 flights within, into or out of the United Stations were already cancelled.

If you have a flight reservation anywhere this week – even to or from a warm place – don’t leave home without checking with your airline.

Here are alerts posted from some of the major U.S. airlines. Airlines are canceling flights proactively and offering change fee waivers/refunds as well.

American Airlines : Travel alert covers more than 30 cities for travel scheduled January 29 and 30.

Winter weather advisories from Delta Air Lines cover flights to, through or from Atlanta, Chicago and the Upper Midwest.

JetBlue’s winter weather waiver covers travel to or from 15 cities in the northeast.

Southwest Airlines is listing travel alerts and waivers for flighs to and from many cities in the Midwest and Northeast.

United Airlines has reduced operations to and from Chicago O’Hare and posted a travel waiver for a long list of Northeast cities.

As the storm and the cold weather makes its way across the country, no doubt some of these travel waivers will be altered and extended. Keep an eye on the skies and on the airline websites and social media posts.

And stay warm!

Airlines offering change fee waivers due to wildfires

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Airlines are offering change fee waivers and refunds in response to the California wildfires.

Some airlines are also helping out with emergency relief efforts for those affected by the fires.

See the links and tweets below for specific dates and details of the alerts airlines have posted.

 

Wildfires seen from space. Courtesy NASA

American Airlines  – The travel alert posted on November 11 offers change fee waivers for passengers booked travel to, through or from Burbank, California (BUR), Los Angeles, California (LAX), Oakland, California (OAK), Sacramento, California (SMF) and San Francisco, California (SFO) through November 13, 2018. Waiver is available for rebooked flights through November 18, 2018.

American will also give you 10 miles for every dollar you donate to the American Red Cross on donations of $25 or more.

Here’s the latest information from Hawaiian Airlines:

JetBlue is offering to waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling through Tuesday, November 12, to/from the Burbank (BUR), Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland (OAK), Sacramento (SMF) and San Francisco (SFO).

The wildfire travel advisory for Southwest Airlines currently applies to flights booked through November 16 to, through or from Burbank (BUR), Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland (OAK), Sacramento (SMF), San Francisco (SFO) and San Jose (SJC).

“Customers who are holding reservations on the abovementioned dates, and want to alter their travel plans may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge,” Southwest says on its website.

Here’s the most recent information on wildfire waivers from United Airlines:

Airlines are likely to update their policies regarding waivers and refunds as the fires continue.

If you’ve got travel planned to or through California, be sure to check your airline’s website or social media channels for the latest information.

And stay safe!

Updated airline travel alerts: Hurricane Florence and others

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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.

Airlines offer change fee waivers for Hurricane Lane

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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

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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.