Hurricane Helene: Airlines Issue Travel Alerts As Storm Heads For Florida

This story was updated at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

A hurricane watch has been issued for Florida’s Gulf Coast surrounding Tampa Bay.

Currently known as Tropical Storm Helene, the storm is currently traveling at 12 m.p.h. and is expected to pick up speed on Wednesday and Thursday, strengthening rapidly as it passes over the unusually warm Gulf of Mexico before ramming into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday as Hurricane Helene.

“Maximum sustained winds are near 45 m.p.h. with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast, and Helene is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday. Continued strengthening is anticipated after that time, and Helene could become a major hurricane on Thursday,” the hurricane center’s 2 p.m. advisory said.

The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled or significantly delayed due to reasons within the airline’s control. But that rule does not pertain to weather-related delays and cancellations.

Hurricane Helene: Airline Travel Advisories

In advance of the storm making landfall, major U.S. airlines are already issuing travel waivers allowing passengers flying in or out of impacted airports to rebook without paying the fare difference. For consumers looking to change travel plans or recoup travel expenses, much will depend upon the airline, itinerary and, in some cases, whether a travel insurance policy was purchased.

American Airlines has a travel alert covering 16 airports in Florida, three in Cuba, two in Mexico, and one each in Alabama and the Cayman Islands. The alert covers flights in or out of impacted airports Tuesday to Friday, September 24-27, which can be rebooked for flights by Friday, October 4.

Delta Air Lines has a travel advisory covering 11 airports in Florida, as well as select airports in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mexico and Cuba. Travelers scheduled to fly through the designated airports Wednesday through Friday, September 25-27, can rebook tickets on flights for travel by Friday, October 4.

United Airlines has issued a travel alert impacting eight airports in Florida, as well as one in Cuba and three in Mexico. Passengers who bought a plane ticket before Monday, September 23 for a flight traveling Tuesday through Friday, September 24-27, to, from or through any of the listed airports may rebook without a change fee for travel through Friday, October 4.

Southwest Airlines’ travel advisory currently covers eight Florida airports for flights Tuesday through Friday, September 24-27, as well as two airports—Cancun and Havana—for flights Tuesday and Wednesday, September 24-25. Passengers traveling through impacted airports have two weeks to rebook their flights at no charge.

JetBlue Airways has issued a travel alert for six airports in Florida, two in Georgia and one in South Carolina. The airline will waive change and cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling Thursday and Friday, September 26-27. They can rebook for flights leaving no later than Wednesday, October 2.

Frontier Airlines has a travel alert for passengers flying in or out of six Florida airports on Thursday and Friday, September 26-27.

Breeze Airways has a travel alert that lets passengers flying through four airports in Florida or New Orleans rebook for a different flight within two weeks from the original departure at no charge.

Spirit Airlines has a travel advisory covering flights in or out of four Florida airports between Wednesday and Friday, September 25-27. They can be rebooked for travel by Wednesday, October 2.

Hurricane Helene: How To Avoid Flight Disruptions This Week

Flying this week? There’s a lot passengers can do to minimize the chance of getting mired down by a delayed or canceled flight.

Most flight disruptions are caused by weather issues. Up to three days ahead of your flight, you can get a heads-up on potential trouble by referring to NOAA’s National Forecast Map. Hover over Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 to see what to expect for weather today, tomorrow and the next day. It shows you at a glance where there is going to be rain, thunderstorms, and other kinds of severe weather on your travel day.

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Arming yourself with this information allows you to switch dates or routes to tee up a better scenario. Perhaps you can travel a day earlier or later, or change a connecting flight to avoid trouble spots.

Not traveling through Florida? It’s equally important to understand that weather events in one part of the country can cause disruptions throughout the country because airlines reuse planes for multiple flights each day. Planes that get delayed on previous routes often don’t make it to their late-day departure airport on time. For example, a plane stuck in Orlando at 2 p.m. won’t make it to Chicago for its 5:15 p.m. departure. There’s a domino effect, where one delay leads to another.

As a result, afternoon and evening flights anywhere in the country are more likely to be delayed than early-morning flights. Whenever possible, book the earliest flight of the day to minimize the chance of disruption.

On the day of your flight, monitor your airline’s app for flight notifications. On the flight-tracking app FlightAware, enter your flight information, and click on your specific flight. Then click the “Where is my plane now?” link just under the flight number. You’ll be able to see if the plane is ahead of schedule, on time or behind schedule and you can act accordingly — often even before the airline announces a delay or cancellation.