Several parts of the United States are preparing for severe winter weather this weekend, and as expected, air travel is going to be disrupted. But if you have a flight, don’t worry, these airlines are offering help.
Delta Airlines shared that as the weather hits, passengers traveling from Jan. 3 to Jan. 6 will be able to rebook their travel to, through, or from 12 airports for free. The airports that are receiving the offer are listed in the weather advisory here.
American Airlines announced on Friday that customers whose travel plans involve 45 affected cities may change their flights without incurring the airline’s usual change fee.
The airline said it is committed to waiving the fees for passengers on eligible flights in every fare class, with the caveat being that the tickets are for travel between Jan. 4 and Jan. 6 and were purchased before Jan. 1. Customers must also be able to fly between Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 and may not change their origin or destination cities or upgrade their tickets. Those who do will have to pay the difference.
United Airlines is waiving most of its change fees for weather-related flight disruptions for those whose travel plans involve nine airports in the Mid-Atlantic and were scheduled between Jan. 5 and Jan. 6.
However, the airline shared that tickets are required to have been purchased on or before Jan. 2. Rebooked tickets must be for flights that depart between Jan. 3 and Jan. 13. They must also be for the same cities and in the original cabin that was booked.
The airline is also granting Central US passengers a little more flexibility, noting that flights from 10 airports in the middle of the US scheduled between Jan. 4 and Jan. 6 that were purchased before Jan. 1 may also be rescheduled without fees.
The final major airline to announce it is waiving its fees is Southwest Airlines, which said in a travel advisory that customers with travel plans involving 14 US airports will be able to alter their reservations free of charge.
The winter storm is expected to drop snow, ice, and freezing rain on parts of several states, including Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It is also expected to impact millions in the mid-Atlantic, according to a press release from AccuWeather.
Dangerous travel conditions are already being reported in several states, and AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter says that conditions could deteriorate rapidly Sunday night and into Monday morning.
“If you have flexible travel plans or can work remotely, Monday would be a day to consider such adjustments to avoid being on roads during the peak of the snowstorm,” Porter said. Commercial interests, such as trucking and logistics companies, planning to traverse interstates in this area during Monday morning would be well served to consider alternative routes or moving shipments before the storm or after the storm’s impacts have ended.”