Airlines waive change fees as winter storm moves east
Blustery weather continues to trigger travel alerts from airlines as a winter storm brings snow and strong winds east and into the Northern Plains states.
American Airlines’ travel alert offers passengers a change-fee waiver if they are scheduled to travel Jan. 24 to, through or from 13 cities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and travel by Jan. 27 instead.
For travelers with reservations for Jan. 24 on Delta Air Lines (Delta Connection and Delta-coded flights) to, from or through a dozen cities, including Aberdeen, S.D.; Appleton, Wis.; Bismarck, N.D.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Green Bay, Wis.; Minneapolis; Rapid City, S.D.; Rhinelander, Wis.; Rochester, Minn.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Wausau, Wis.; the airline is offering fee-free ticket changes for travel that takes place by Jan. 27.
Delta also notes that passengers can travel their trip and receive a refund on the unused portion of their tickets if a flight is canceled by the airline or is delayed by 90 minutes or more.
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A travel alert on Southwest Airlines remains in effect through Jan. 24 and covers 15 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cities: Albany, N.Y.; Baltimore; Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Hartford, Conn.; Islip, N.Y.; Manchester, N.H.; New York (LGA); Newark; Philadelphia; Portland, Maine; Providence, R.I.; Washington, D.C.'s DCA and IAD; and Rochester, N.Y.
Southwest customers can rebook their flights within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city pairs.
A United Airlines travel alert continues to apply through Jan. 24 for travel to, from or through 18 Northeast cities in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine.
On Monday, the carrier added a travel alert for winter weather in the Northern Plains for 16 cities in Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota.
For all cities affected by United’s current travel alert, change fees and fare differences will be waived if travel is rebooked for flights on or before Jan. 27.
Meanwhile, over in London, hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports in the past two days due to freezing fog.
Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and Paste BN Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. Follow her at twitter.com/hbaskas.