Airlines waive change fees, fares cap Florida during Hurricane Milton

• Major airlines have said they are waiving change fees due to Hurricane Milton’s impact on Florida.
• United, American, Delta and Southwest said certain travelers could rebook without fees.
• Airlines also said they were capping airfares as thousands try to leave Florida.

As the travel industry prepares for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday, major airlines are offering to waive cancellation fees for travelers whose plans could be affected.

Four of the largest airlines — United, American Airlines, Delta and Southwest — said they were offering passengers options to cancel or reschedule their flights without penalty.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the department was monitoring areas affected by Milton for increased airline fares, with several airlines also saying they were capping airfares.

Here’s what each airline offers. All airlines said travelers can make changes to their trips online, either through websites or apps.

United

United said customers who had flights scheduled to or from nine Florida airports, including Tampa, Orlando and Miami, between Oct. 7 and 12 could reschedule their trip and that the airline would waive any change or difference fees. tariff. The new rebooked flight must be before October 20.

United also said in a statement to Business Insider that it has added flights on Monday and Tuesday this week to serve additional customers. As of Tuesday afternoon, the airline said all of its flights from Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota were full for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. United also said it had capped prices for fights in Florida on Sunday.

American Airlines

American has scheduled additional flights from Florida this week.

The airline said it was waiving change fees for customers who were scheduled to fly through 12 Florida airports Oct. 8-10. Passengers must reschedule their flights before October 18 and the flight must be rebooked by October 10.

American said it has capped fares for flights departing from all airports included in its travel alert.

Delta

Delta said it is waiving fare differences for passengers planning to fly through nine Florida airports between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10. The airline said flights must be rebooked by October 15.

The airline said that if passengers cannot reschedule, they can cancel the reservation and receive a fare credit that can be used up to one year after the original ticket was issued.

Delta also said it has capped fares for affected airports.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest said passengers scheduled to fly through 13 Florida airports Oct. 8-12 can rebook or standby travel within 14 days of their original ticket without paying additional fees.

The airline also said customers whose flights are canceled or who choose not to travel due to a major delay could request a refund. Customers can also cancel and apply the amount to a ticket at a later date.