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Across Florida, many airports have closed and some hotels have begun preparing to accept evacuees instead of tourists. By Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Ian had already contributed to the cancellation of more than 4,000 flights, most of them in Florida, according to Kathleen Bangs, spokeswoman for FlightAware, a flight tracking company.
The effects on air travel, in Florida and beyond, are expected to continue through the weekend. Here’s what to know if your travel plans are affected by Hurricane Ian.
Your flight was canceled because of the storm. What now?
Extreme weather events are beyond the control of airlines, so you cannot automatically expect a full refund if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed. On the same subject : Winners and Losers Sunday in Florida politics – Sunday 7.3.22. But some airlines, including American, Frontier and JetBlue, still offer full refunds.
Other airlines offer a credit to those who choose not to rebook or waive change fees for those who do – but read the details carefully as there are many restrictions.
Here’s what some major airlines do:
American: Travelers affected by Hurricane Ian can get a full refund for canceled flights or rebook with no change fees, as long as travel is rescheduled by October 8 and taken within one year of ticketing. origin, according to an airline spokeswoman.
Delta: Travelers traveling from, to, or through affected Florida airports can avoid change fees as long as they complete their trip within one year of the original ticket, according to Delta’s website. Fare differences will only be waived for flights booked before October 3. Travelers who do not rebook can obtain a credit.
Frontier: Frontier is one of the hardest hit airlines, canceling a larger percentage of flights Wednesday than any other carrier. Customers can rebook for free, even if they change the city of departure and arrival, as long as the trip takes place before October 10. Those who do not rebook canceled flights can get a full refund.
JetBlue: Travelers to, from or through affected cities in Florida can rebook for free as long as all rescheduled travel occurs by October 6. Travelers whose flights have been canceled can request a full refund.
Southwest: Travelers who need to fly from, to or through Tampa, Orlando and nine other Florida airports can rebook to other Florida airports at no cost, according to the company‘s site. Travelers to or from Charleston, S.C., or Savannah, Georgia, can also rebook for a later date at no charge. Travel must take place within 14 days of the originally scheduled flight. Full refunds will be offered for canceled flights.
Several airlines also offer accommodation for dogs and cats. Southwest is waiving the $95 pet fare for customers traveling to or from affected cities, and American is lifting the limit on the number of pets allowed.
What happens to your hotel reservation?
If you are planning to travel to Florida in the next few days, you should check to see if your hotel is still accepting guests. See the article : Plan additional travel delays on routes to some popular summer destinations | WSDOT. Travelers planning to check into Disney Resort hotels on Thursday, for example, have been asked to wait until Friday.
If you plan to cancel your trip, you will need to speak to your hotel about the details. Wyndham & Resorts is waiving cancellation fees for all hotels located in mandatory evacuation zones, a spokesperson said in a statement.
Hilton guests who have not paid prior to check-in may cancel with a refund. Those who paid in advance may be able to get a full refund if their plans are affected by Hurricane Ian, a spokeswoman said.
What about Airbnb and VRBO?
Both companies seem to leave that decision up to the host. This may interest you : OfftheGrid, a new Tinder-like travel app, helps travelers meet and find destinations. If your host cancels first, you should get a refund or credit.
VRBO and Airbnb are both trying to facilitate this by waiving host penalties associated with canceling in areas affected by the storm, according to company representatives.
It gets more complicated if your host doesn’t cancel.
Airbnb offers refunds for a number of “events beyond your control,” including natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions. But hurricanes and tropical storms affecting Florida between June and November aren’t covered because the company considers them predictable.
VRBO has a similar policy. “Natural disasters, such as hurricanes or wildfires, do not override the cancellation policy set by the host and agreed to by the guest when booking,” a spokeswoman said.
A word of advice: moving your date to something in the distant future can often buy you time to figure out your plans without incurring any expense.
Cruise line cancellations are rare.
Several cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, said they had to reroute their ships to avoid the storm, forcing some passengers to spend an extra night at sea. The ships can usually sail in bad weather, making cancellations rare, said Anne Madison, spokesperson for the Cruise Lines International Association.
MSC Cruises: The company has rerouted two of its ships, MSC Seashore and MSC Divina, further east and promised refunds to passengers who had booked excursions to their original destinations.
Norwegian Cruise Line: An eight-day voyage that departed Miami on Sunday has been moved from the Western Caribbean to the Eastern Caribbean, the company said. The cruise line also said it canceled a 10-day Caribbean trip that was scheduled to depart Thursday from Orlando.
What happens to Disney World tickets?
The theme park will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. Disney said tickets purchased for this week can be used through September 30, 2023, and it is working with any guests who need refunds.
