Hurricanes to Continue Disrupting Flights Over Labor Day, Zika in U.S.
While Hurricane Hermine has been downgraded to a tropical storm, Hurricane Lester is set to pass near Hawaii over the weekend. Here’s the latest.
THE BIGGEST HEADLINES TRAVEL AGENTS NEED TO KNOW
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More stormy weather lies ahead as the United States gears up for a busy Labor Daytravel weekend — here’s everything to keep on your radar this morning.
Hurricane Hermine made landfall early this morning as a
Category 1 storm,
CNNreports, making it the first hurricane to hit
Florida since
Hurricane Wilma 11 years ago. The storm made landfall near where the state’s peninsula meets the panhandle before weakening into a tropical storm. While all hurricane watches and warnings have been dropped, tropical storm warnings remain for
North Carolina, Georgia and parts of the
Florida Gulf Coast.
According to
USA Today, the storm could disrupt flights through the weekend, as it is forecast to move toward the mid-
Atlantic coast by Sunday, which could spell trouble for hub airports in
New York and
Philadelphia. 110 flights have been cancelled as of 8:20 a.m. this morning, particularly in
Jacksonville, Savannah, Gainesville and
Charleston.
But that’s not all…fresh off of dealing with
Hurricane Madeline,
Hawaii is gearing up for the impact of
Hurricane Lester.
ABC News reports that the
Category 3 storm is forecast to pass just north of the islands over the weekend, although the center is not expected to make landfall. If the storm veers south, though, it could have a much greater impact. Either way, expect heavy rains and tropical storm- or hurricane-force winds in the eastern part of the state starting Friday night.
All this is happening, of course, over
Labor Day, and it’s set to be a busy one: According to another
ABC News report,
Airlines for America (A4A) is forecasting 2.23 million air travelers this weekend, up 4 percent from a year ago. The jump is partly due to air fares, which are lower than in previous years due to falling oil prices.
Airline Travel Waivers
In response to the storms major airlines have issued travel waivers. Here’s a rundown:
Salisbury / Ocean City, Maryland (SBY)
Greenville, North Carolina (PGV)
New Bern, North Carolina (EWN)
Richlands, North Carolina (OAJ)
Newport News, Virginia (PHF)
Norfolk, Virginia (ORF)
Richmond, Virginia (RIC)
American said it will waive a one-time ticketing fee for changes for travelers booked to, from or through the above airports who purchased their tickets by September 2 for travel through September 4. Travel must take place through September 8.
- Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Florida (VPS)
- Gainesville, Florida (GNV)
- Jacksonville, Florida (JAX)
- Pensacola, Florida (PNS)
- Sarasota, Florida (SRQ)
- Tallahassee, Florida (TLH)
- Tampa, Florida (TPA)
- Savannah, Georgia (SAV)
- Fayetteville, North Carolina (FAY)
- Wilmington, North Carolina (ILM)
- Charleston, South Carolina (CHS)
- Florence, South Carolina (FLO)
- Columbia, South Carolina (CAE)
- Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (HHH)
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (MYR)
Customers traveling through the above airports who had purchased a ticket by August 30 and are scheduled for travel through September 3 can have their travel change fee waived for travel through September 6.
- Hilo, Hawaii (ITO)
- Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL)
- Kahului, Maui, Hawaii (OGG)
- Kona, Hawaii (KOA)
- Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii (LIH)
Travelers flying through the above airports who purchased their ticket by August 31 for travel September 3 - 4 can have their travel change fee waived when rescheduling travel through September 7. Travelers who purchased their ticket by August 30 for travel through September 1 can reschedule through September 6.
JetBlue has issued a travel agent waiver code for flights departing today through September 3 to/from the following airports:
- Charleston, SC (CHS)
- Daytona Beach, FL (DAB)
- Fort Myers, FL (RSW)
- Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
- Orlando, FL (MCO)
- Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
- Savannah/Hilton Head, GA (SAV)
- Tampa, FL (TPA)
Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Friday, September 9 prior to the departure of their originally scheduled flight. Customers with cancelled flights may opt for a refund. Travel must have been booked on or before August 30.
For
Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL); Kahului, Maui, Hawaii (OGG); Kona, Hawaii (KOA); and
Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii (LIH),
Delta is offering travelers a refund for the unused portion of their ticket if their flight is canceled or delayed 90 minutes or more. Customers may also make a one-time change without fee. Travel must be September 3 - 4 for tickets reissued on or before September 7 with travel to begin no later than September 7. Customers traveling today to, from or through
Kahului, HI (OGG) or
Kona, HI (KOA), can get a refund under the same conditions or rebook travel on or before September 6 for travel to begin no later than September 6.
In the southeastern U.S., Delta is offering the same deal for travel September 1 - 3 for tickets reissued on or before September 6 with travel to begin no later than September 6. The following airports are affected:
- Brunswick, GA (BQK)
- Charleston, SC (CHS)
- Destin Ft. Walton Beach, FL (VPS)
- Gainesville, FL (GNV)
- Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
- Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR)
- Panama City, FL (ECP)
- Pensacola, FL (PNS)
- Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
- Savannah, GA (SAV)
- Tallahassee, FL (TLH)
- Tampa, FL (TPA)
- Valdosta, GA (VLD)
- Wilmington, NC (ILM)
United Airlines has issued its own travel waiver for both storms, as described in the table below:
Storm | Travel to/from/through | Original travel date(s) | Additional Info |
Hurricane Hermine |
- Charleston, SC (CHS)
- Charlotte, NC (CLT)
- Columbia, SC (CAE)
- Fayetteville, NC (FAY)
- Fort Walton Beach, FL (VPS)
- Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
- Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR)
- Panama City, FL (ECP)
- Pensacola, FL (PNS)
- Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU)
- Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
- Savannah, GA (SAV)
- Tampa, FL (TPA)
| September 1 - 3 | The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new flights departing on or before September 6, 2016, as long as travel is rescheduled in the same cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed. |
Hurricane Lester |
- Hilo, HI (ITO)
- Honolulu, HI (HNL)
- Kahului, HI (OGG)
- Kona, HI (KOA)
- Lihue, HI (LIH)
| September 3 - 4 | The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new flights departing on or before September 7, 2016, as long as travel is rescheduled in the same cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed. |
For
Southwest Airlines, customers traveling through September 3 can reschedule their flights to/from/through the following airports:
- Ft. Myers (RSW)
- Jacksonville (JAX)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Panama City Beach (ECP)
- Tampa (TPA)
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