As a blizzard brings snow and high winds to the Midwest and Great Lakes on Wednesday, airlines are allowing some travelers to rebook their flights without incurring a change fee.
A winter storm bringing blizzard conditions to the Midwest and Great Lakes regions is disrupting ... [+]
So far, only one of the “big four” U.S. airlines—American, United, Delta and Southwest—is issuing travel waivers to let travelers booked on flights in or out of impacted airports to rebook without paying a fare difference.
American Airlines has a travel alert covering six East Coast airports from Charlotte to Boston for travel Wednesday.
JetBlue Airways has a travel alert covering eight airports in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, including Washington D.C.’s Reagan National, Philadelphia, Boston and the three major New York City airports–J.F.K., LaGuardia and Newark.
Frontier Airlines has issued an alert that covers seven major Midwestern airports, including Kansas City, Minneapolis and both major Chicago airports–O’Hare and Midway.
United Airlines has no advisory in place but the airline has eliminated most change fees for travelers who booked a domestic flight within the past 24 hours.
The National Weather Service is tracking a major winter storm it says will bring blizzard conditions to much of the Midwest and Great Lakes regions Wednesday, with several inches of snowfall, winds gusts of up to 60 m.p.h. and white-out conditions. As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, more than 1,500 flights in and out of U.S. airports were disrupted, according to FlightAware, with numbers expected to climb as the day progresses.
The Department of Transportation requires airlines to provide passengers with refunds in the event of flight cancellations and significant delays, defined as more than three hours. But the rule does not apply to weather-related delays, which are outside the airline’s control. Impacted passengers are on their own unless they can take advantage of a change waiver or purchased travel insurance in advance of their trip.
Airlines Should Reimburse Up To $775 For Long Flight Delays, Says DOT (Forbes)
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