Airlines Take Action as Tropical Storm Isaac Nears
Tuesday, Aug. 28 10:30 a.m.: Tropical Storm Isaac nears the Louisiana coast and could become a hurricane by Tuesday night. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport ceased flights as of Monday at midnight.
Monday, Aug. 27. 8 a.m.: As Tropical Storm Issac pulls into the Gulf of Mexico, just about every U.S.-based airline has either extended or offered rebooking services while waiving their fees for passengers traveling to Florida and areas of the Gulf Coast as Issac reaches land.
Recently added airlines include:
Friday, Aug. 24. 8 a.m.: As Tropical Storm Isaac continues to move through the Caribbean while threatening to power up into hurricane strength, airlines are pro-actively offering to rebook travelers’ flights without charging the often expensive itinerary change fee (and see a list of these airlines with links, below).
Worst Airline Fee Ever (and how to avoid it)
Airlines Waive Fees for Caribbean Travelers
At the moment, the change fee waiver is only available for some Caribbean destinations, but this could change as the storm nears/hits Florida. At the moment, Isaac’s path has it nearing the Tampa area (scene of next week’s Republican National Convention) before ultimately making land in the Pensacola area, but as anyone who lives in hurricane country knows these storms can be somewhat unpredictable – and travelers are strongly urged to follow the news and track the storm’s projected path.
List of Airlines and Change Fee Waiver Info
The following airlines will allow passengers to rebook certain flights without paying any penalty. Click on the carrier’s name to be linked to the airline’s specific policy.
Airlines Urge Passengers: Stay in Touch
Note: The above list – and the airline information on affected cities – may change radically in the coming days or even hours. Travelers to affected areas are urged to stay in touch with their airlines. As JetBlue say on its website, “We ask our customers traveling to/from these cities to stay safe, stay dry, and to regularly and frequently check the status of their flight online at or by phone.” Good advice.
