Bucks Blog: Airlines Waive Change Fees Because of Hurricane Sandy

Associated PressAmerican Airlines jets at JFK Airport.

We all grumble about airlines and their increasingly creative fees. But some airlines are doing something nice for families and teachers affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Because of the hurricane, some New York area school systems have changed the dates for the annual February school break. So airlines including Delta, American and United are waiving their usual change fees for passengers that need to reschedule trips out of area airports as a result of the rejiggered calendar.

The waiver applies only to change fees; travelers must still pay any increase in fares.

Details of the waivers vary so travelers should check with their airline before changing plans.

Delta Air Lines says tickets with an original issue date on or before Nov. 19, for travel from Feb. 15 to Feb. 24, are eligible. Flights out of five airports (John F. Kennedy, La Guardia, Newark, Westchester County (HPN) and Newburgh (SWF)) are eligible.

Leslie Scott, a Delta spokeswoman, says the airline makes such decisions on a case by case basis. She couldn’t say for sure that the Sandy-related fee waiver was the only time such a broad waiver had been made because of a schedule change occurring well after a storm’s initial impact. (All of the airlines often waive change fees because of the immediate impact of a major storm.)

But the fee waiver made sense in this case because New York is a major market for Delta, she said. “Because the mid-winter break had been on the school calendar for so long and many people had already planned trips, issuing the waiver when the schools changed the vacation dates was the right thing to do,” she said in an e-mail. Delta’s change fee is normally $150 for domestic travel and $250 for international travel.

American Airlines said its waiver applied to customers whose tickets were issued on or before Nov. 29, for travel from Feb. 15 through Feb. 24 out of La Guardia, J.F.K., Newark and White Plains (HPN). American’s change fees are typically $150 for domestic travel and from $150 to $250 for international, depending on the type of ticket.

United Air Lines said it often offered waivers “when there’s an ongoing disruption to air service at a particular airport or in a particular region,” like blizzards or storms. Its Sandy-related waiver is for travel that had been scheduled from Feb. 14 through Feb. 25 from La Guardia, J.F.K., Newark and White Plains (HPN). United’s change fees are typically $150 for domestic flights and up to $250 for international flights.

Are you taking advantage of the change-fee waiver?

Article source: http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/airlines-waive-change-fees-due-to-hurricane-sandy/?partner=rss&emc=rss