Airlines Offering Travel Waivers Ahead Of Hurricane Matthew

Image courtesy of National Hurricane Center

Travelers who were planning on flying this week to or from areas affected by Hurricane Matthew, which is currently in the Caribbean and heading toward the U.S. East Coast, may find themselves changing their plans, and some airlines are ready to help by issuing travel waivers.

The U.S. State Department has been issuing travel warnings to advise Americans in parts of Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Bahamas, recommending folks leave before the storm hits, when possible.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the below airlines had issued travel guidance those slated to travel this week:

United Airlines
For flights originally booked for Oct. 5-7, United will waive the change fee and any difference in fare for new flights departing on or before Oct. 12, as long as travel is rescheduled in the same cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed.​​
Airports included: Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and West Palm Beach.

Delta Air Lines
If you want to cancel your trip as the result of a flight cancellation or a delay of more than 90 minutes, Delta says you’re entitled to a refund for the unused portion of your ticket. The airline will allow travelers to cancel their trips. Even if your flight isn’t canceled, travelers flying into or out of certain destinations can make a one-time change to their ticket without a fee.
Airports included for Caribbean travel originally scheduled between Oct. 2-6: Kingston, Jamaica; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Georgetown, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (rebooked travel must begin no later than Oct. 9).
Airports included for Florida travel originally scheduled between Oct. 6-7: Daytona; Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Key West, Melbourne, Miami, Orlando, and West Palm Beach (rebooked travel must begin no later than Oct. 12).

American Airlines
Travelers who booked their travel to and from several Florida airports, as well as Caribbean destinations, will be able to change their trip with no change fee.
Airports included for Caribbean travel originally scheduled between Oct. 1-6: Cienfuegos, Cuba; Holguín, Cuba; Santa Clara, Cuba; Cap-Haïtien, Haiti; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Kingston, Jamaica; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (rebooked travel must begin by Oct. 9).
Airports included for Florida travel originally scheduled between Oct. 6-7: Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Key West, Melbourne, Miami, Orlando, Key West, and West Palm Beach.(rebooked travel must begin by Oct. 12).

JetBlue
JetBlue will waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling to and from certain cities in both the U.S. and the Caribbean. Customers with cancelled flights may opt for a refund.
U.S. Airports included for travel originally scheduled between Oct. 6-9: Charleston, SC; Daytona Beach, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Orlando; Raleigh/Durham, NC; Savannah/Hilton Head, GA; and West Palm Beach, FL (Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Oct. 16, prior to the departure of their originally scheduled flight).
Airports included for Caribbean travel originally scheduled between Oct. 2-6: Kingston, Jamaica; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, Bahamas; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos; and
Santa Clara, Cuba (Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Oct. 10 prior to the departure of their originally scheduled flight).

Southwest Airlines
The airline says its scheduled service for Montego Bay, Jamaica between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5 might be disrupted, as well as its scheduled service to Nassau, Bahamas between Oct. 2 and Oct. 7. Customers who are holding reservations on those dates to and from those destinations who 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) without paying any additional charge.

Spirit Airlines
Customers can have their ticket charge/fare difference waived through Oct. 14 if they’re traveling to/from/through Fort Lauderdale and Orlando between Oct. 6-7. After Oct. 14, changes can still be made but a fare difference may apply.

Allegiant Air
As of Tuesday afternoon, Allegiant said it was keeping an eye on Matthew, but that no flights have been affected yet.

“The Allegiant operations team is closely tracking Hurricane Matthew, as well as the local weather systems throughout Florida. At this time, no flights have been affected,” the airline said “All flights are currently being operated as scheduled. We will continue to monitor the weather and communicate with affected passengers as needed. Passengers scheduled to travel to or from Florida on Allegiant should continue to monitor this page for updates, or sign up for flight alerts.”

Frontier Airlines
Frontier didn’t have any flight changes to announce yet either. As of Tuesday, the airline’s site said, “We are monitoring the storm and its possible impact. As the week progresses, and forecasts become more reliable, we’ll be posting further updates.”

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