October 8, 2024: Hurricane Milton is going to hit Florida in the coming days. If you’re traveling to Florida and wondering if you can change your flight. The answer is likely yes. Here’s what you need to know about airline
When a large event like severe weather is predicted to disrupt travel, airlines usually offer travelers the ability to change or reschedule flights for free. These waivers usually apply even for non-refundable, non-changeable tickets like Basic Economy fares.
Here’s what you need to know about airline travel waivers.
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Airline waivers: What are they and how do they work?
When a natural disaster has hit or is expected to impact air travel, airlines usually proactively offer a travel waiver. When airlines do this, you can typically change your flights for free within a certain date range if you have booked travel to or through an impacted area during a natural disaster.
Airline policies and levels of flexibility vary, but here are some general rules of thumb:
- Waivers usually apply to all tickets through specific destinations and dates. This includes non-refundable, non-changeable fares like Basic Economy.
- Mainline carriers (Delta, American, United) are often more generous than low-cost carriers (Spirit, Frontier). In most cases, mainline carriers will waive fare differences, meaning you can get on any flight that has seats available without paying anything extra, while low-cost carriers usually only waive change fees.
- If you booked through a travel agency, you typically must change your ticket through the travel agency. Prior to departure, the travel agency you booked your ticket through is usually responsible for processing any changes. If you booked your ticket on an airline’s website, you can contact the airline directly for changes.
- You must have booked your ticket before the waiver is issued to be eligible for free changes. You’ll only get a free change from a waiver if you’ve booked before it was in effect.
- Most waivers allow only a one-time change. When an waiver is issued, you can usually change your flight only once for free. If you need to change your flight more than once, you’ll usually pay a difference in fare and a change fee if applicable.
Usually, the best way to change your flight is through your airline’s website or mobile app. During significant weather events and natural disasters, you’re likely to experience long hold times if you try to call the airline.
Current airline waivers: Hurricane Milton 2024
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall around Tampa Bay the night of October 9th, 2024. Ahead of the storm, airlines are offering waivers. As of publication, here are the waivers in effect at major U.S. airlines. (Click the links under each airline for the most up-to-date information.)
| Airline | Eligible travel dates | Additional conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines (Hurricane Milton Alaska Airlines waiver) | October 7 – 10, 2024 | Rebook travel can occur October 7 – 17, 2024. Applies only to tickets issued by Alaska Airlines. |
| American Airlines (Hurricane Milton AA waiver information) | October 6 – 10, 2024 | Rebook changes by October 10, 2024. Rebooked travel can occur October 6 – 17, 2024. |
| Delta Air Lines (Hurricane Milton Delta waiver) | October 7 – 10, 2024 | Rebooking and rebooked travel must happen before October 15, 2024 |
| Frontier Airlines (Current travel alert information) | October 7 – 10, 2024 | Only change fee is waived. A difference in fare may apply. |
| JetBlue (Current travel alert information) | October 7 – 11, 2024 | Rebooked travel must occur through October 17, 2024. |
| Southwest Airlines (Current travel advisories) | October 7 – 10, 2024 (October 8 – 9 for Cancun, Mexico, October 9 – 10 for Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, and West Palm Beach) | Travel must occur within 14 days of the original date of the flight. Passengers flying through TPA and SRQ have additional options for origin/destination. |
| Spirit Airlines (Current travel advisories) | October 7 – 10, 2024 | Fare difference waived through October 17, 2024. |
| United Airlines (Current travel alert information) | October 7 – 12, 2024 | Change fees and fare differences waived if rebooked travel occurs October 5 – 19, 2024. |
Where to find current waiver information for major U.S. airlines
Airlines post their travel waiver information on their websites, though sometimes that can be hard to find. Here’s where each of the major U.S. airlines posts its travel waiver information:
- Alaska Airlines displays the most recent travel waiver at the top of its homepage and lists all current travel waivers on its travel advisories page.
- American Airlines posts its travel waivers on its travel alerts page.
- Delta Air Lines maintains an advisories pages where it posts current travel waivers. You can also find this page by clicking on the bell icon on the Delta.com home page.
- Frontier airlines posts travel alerts on its website.
- JetBlue maintains a travel alerts page on its website. The airline also displays the most recent travel waiver at the top of its homepage.
- Southwest Airlines posts all of its waivers on its travel advisories page. You’ll also find the most recent travel advisory on Southwest.com in a box above the flight search box.
- United Airlines will post current travel advisories on the travel alerts page on United.com.
Bottom line: Waivers usually mean you can change your flight once for free
When a natural disaster is expected to impact air travel, airlines typically allow a fair amount of flexibility to change your flight for free. Check your airline’s website to see current travel waiver policies, but remember that you are always entitled to a refund if your flight is canceled.
