Airlines waive change fees as winter storm threatens Midwest

WASHINGTON — As a winter storm threatens to cause hazardous travel conditions for those heading home after the holiday weekend, major airlines are waiving change fees for flyers in the Midwest.

Each carrier has its own rules, but the waivers generally allow customers to make one change to their itineraries without paying hundreds of dollars in fees, USA Today reports.

Flyers from Kansas through Michigan are likely to be the most impacted as the Midwest and parts of the East Coast experience near-blizzard conditions on one of the year’s busiest travel days.

The storms come as a record-breaking number of people are traveling this Thanksgiving holiday. Over 54 million are projected to travel for the holiday.

Here are some of the airlines offering winter-storm waivers:

  • American Airlines is waiving fees for customers traveling on Nov. 24-26 in certain Midwest regions. Customers must rebook their flight by Nov. 30.
  • Delta Air Lines customers flying in Midwest are covered if their flights are on Nov. 25-26. Any changes must be made by Nov. 29.
  • Frontier Airlines is offering fee-waivers for customers in certain airports in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Kansas. Customers flying on Nov. 24-26 must travel by Dec. 10 to be eligible.
  • Southwest Airlines is covering customers at Chicago Midway; Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Missouri; Milwaukee; Omaha, Nebraska; and Wichita, Kansas. Customers flying on Nov. 24-26 must rebook travel within 14 days of their original flight.
  • Spirit Airlines is waiving fees for customers in Chicago, O’Hare, and Kansas City, Missouri. Travelers planning on flying on Nov. 25-26 can change flights by Nov. 29.
  • United Airlines customers in numerous Midwest regions are covered if they were originally booked to travel on Nov. 24-26 and rebook flights by Nov. 30.

 

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up