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Airlines Issue Weather Waivers for 74 Airports Ahead of Massive Blizzard

Jan. 17, 2019
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5 min read
Massive Winter Storm Brings Snow And Heavy Winds Across Large Swath Of Eastern Seaboard
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We are entering peak winter storm season, and -- right on schedule -- the worst winter storm of the season is making its way across the US. Airlines have already started issuing wide-ranging change fee waivers to allow flexible travelers the opportunity to reschedule their flights to avoid the mess.

While the winter storm is expected to dump snow in the Rockies Thursday, it'll pick up strength as it sweeps eastward. By the time it hits Maine, more than three feet of snow is expected in parts of the state.

Image courtesy of Weather Underground.

However, it's not just the snow forecast that's expected to impact travel. Harper will bring very strong winds to the region -- dropping the wind chill and wreaking havoc on air travel.

Airlines are preparing for this storm by issuing weather waivers. Travelers with plans to fly during the storm may be able to change their flights to an earlier/later date or route through another airport that isn't expected to be affected by the storm.

Through 9:30am ET Thursday, only four airlines have issued weather waivers so far. However, these fee waivers cover a whopping 74 airports.

Here's what's been issued so far:

American Airlines

  • Travel date: January 19-20
  • Airports affected: Albany, New York (ALB); Bangor, Maine (BGR); Boston, Massachusetts (BOS); Buffalo, New York (BUF); Burlington, Vermont (BVT); Erie, Pennsylvania (ERI); Ithaca, New York (ITH); Manchester, New Hampshire (MHT); Montreal, Canada (YUL); Ottawa, Canada (YOW); Portland, Maine (PWM); Rochester, New York (ROC); Syracuse, New York (SYR); Toronto, Canada (YYZ); Watertown, New York (ART); Worcester, Massachusetts (ORH)
  • Must have purchased your ticket by January 16
  • Rebook travel anytime between January 16-23
  • You can’t change your origin or destination city. Must rebook in same cabin or pay the difference.
  • Avoid the phone queue. Changes available on both AA’s website and in the AA app.

Frontier

Waiver 1:

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  • Travel dates: January 17-20
  • Airports covered: Albany, NY (ALB); Buffalo, NY (BUF); Harrisburg, PA (MDT); Islip, NY (ISP); New York, NY LaGuardia (LGA); Philadelphia, PA (PHL); Pittsburgh, PA (PIT); Portland, ME (PWM); Portsmouth, NH (PSM); Providence, RI (PVD); Syracuse, NY (SYR); Trenton, NJ (TTN); Washington, DC Dulles (IAD); Washington, DC National (DCA)
  • Must have purchased ticket by January 16
  • Rebooked travel must be completed no later than: January 31
  • Customers may make one itinerary change – rules/restrictions regarding standard change fees, advance purchase, day or time applications, blackouts, and minimum or maximum stay requirements will be waived.

Waiver 2:

  • Travel dates: January 19
  • Airports covered: Bloomington, IL (BMI); Cedar Rapids, IA (CID); Chicago O’Hare, IL (ORD); Cincinnati, OH (CVG); Cleveland, OH (CLE); Columbus, OH (CMH); Detroit, MI (DTW); Des Moines, IA (DSM); Grand Rapids, MI (GRR); Indianapolis, IN (IND); Kansas City, MO (MCI); St. Louis, MO (STL)
  • Must have purchased ticket by January 17
  • Rebooked travel must be completed no later than: January 31
  • Customers may make one itinerary change – rules/restrictions regarding standard change fees, advance purchase, day or time applications, blackouts, and minimum or maximum stay requirements will be waived.

Southwest

  • Airports covered (January 18): Des Moines (DSM); Omaha (OMA); Wichita (ICT)
  • Airports covered (January 19): Cincinnati (CVG); Cleveland (CLE); Columbus (CMH); Indianapolis (IND); Kansas City (MCI); St. Louis (STL)
  • Airports covered (January 19-21): Albany (ALB); Boston (BOS); Buffalo (BUF); Chicago (MDW); Hartford (BDL); Manchester (MHT); Newark (EWR); New York LaGuardia (LGA); Philadelphia (PHL); Pittsburgh (PIT); Portland, Maine (PWM); Providence (PVD); Rochester (ROC)
  • Customers who are holding reservations to/from/through the cities above on the corresponding dates may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with [Southwest's] accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.

United

  • Airports covered (January 18): Cedar Rapids, IA (CID); Des Moines, IA (DSM); Hays, KS (HYS); Liberal, KS (LBL);Lincoln, NE (LNK); North Platte, NE (LBF); Omaha, NE (OMA); Rapid City, SD (RAP); Salina, KS (SLN); Scottsbluff, NE (BFF); Sioux Falls, SD (FSD); Wichita, KS (ICT)
  • Airports covered (January 19): Akron/Canton, OH, OH (CAK); Cape Girardeau, MO (CGI); Cleveland, OH (CLE); Columbia, MO (COU); Columbus, OH (CMH); Dayton, OH (DAY); Evansville, IN (EVV); Fort Wayne, IN (FWA); Indianapolis, IN (IND); Kansas City, MO (MCI); Moline, IL (MLI); Peoria, IL (PIA); Quincy, IL (UIN); South Bend, IN (SBN); Springfield, IL (SPI); Springfield, MO (SGF); St. Louis, MO (STL)
  • Airports covered (January 19-20): Albany, NY (ALB); Allentown, PA (ABE); Bangor, ME (BGR); Boston, MA (BOS); Buffalo, NY (BUF); Burlington, VT (BTV); Chicago, IL (ORD); Elmira, NY (ELM); Halifax, NS, CA (YHZ); Harrisburg, PA (MDT); Hartford, CT (BDL); Ithaca, NY (ITH); London, ON, CA (YXU); Manchester, NH (MHT); Montréal, QC, CA (YUL); New York/Newark, NJ (EWR); New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK); New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA); Philadelphia, PA (PHL); Pittsburgh, PA (PIT); Plattsburgh, NY (PBG); Portland, ME (PWM); Presque Isle, ME (PQI); Providence, RI (PVD); Quebec City, QB, CA (YQB); Rochester, NY (ROC); State College, PA (SCE); Syracuse, NY (SYR); Toronto, ON, CA (YYZ); White Plains, NY (HPN); Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (AVP)
  • The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new United flights departing on or before January 23, as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed.​​

No waivers (yet) from: Alaska, Allegiant, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit

Protect Your Travels

This winter storm is another reminder to book flights with a card that offers solid trip delay and cancellation insurance. Cards with solid trip protection include the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

Featured image by Getty Images
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.