American, United, Delta waiving fees for travelers stranded by Stella

Winter Storm Stella isn’t the massive bombogenesis blizzard meteorologists originally predicted, but her wrath is being felt in much of the Northeast.

Between Monday and Tuesday, the weather pros forecasted that cities in Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, DC, and New England would get anywhere from 12 to 24 inches of snow. In preparation, airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Monday and preemptively canceled around 6,000 on Tuesday. Massive flight cancellations typically trigger a ripple effect of delays, and that appears to be the case with Stella. According to the flight tracking site, FlightAware, airlines have already canceled 750 flights scheduled for Wednesday.

With widespread travel cancellations and delays, most airlines are waiving fees they would typically charge for changing flight reservations. The following list provides specific waiver details for the major airlines to assist travelers in altering their plans.

American Airlines

American Airlines (AAL) has canceled 1,675 flights on Tuesday and 400 on Wednesday.

If you’re traveling to or from these 39 airports, the airline may waive your change fee if you bought your ticket before March 10, 2017, and are scheduled to fly on March 14 or 15. The $200 fee will be waived if you don’t change your origin or destination city, and if you rebook in the same cabin or pay the price difference.

To stay on top of flight changes, get notifications sent to your phone.

Delta

In preparation for Stella, Delta (DAL) canceled 130 flights on Monday and 800 flights on Tuesday. That said, the airline is hoping to resume flights on Tuesday night, and return to regular service on Wednesday.

If you’re flying through one of these 30 airports – including Newark, NJ (EWR), Boston’s Logan (BOS) or Baltimore (BWI) – on March 14 or 15, Delta will waive the $200 fee to change your flight. Your ticket must be issued on or before March 17 and rebooked travel must begin no later than March 17.

If you wish to cancel your trip altogether as a result of a flight cancellation or significant delay (90 minutes or more), you are entitled to a refund for the unused portion of your ticket. Even if your flight is not canceled, you may make a one-time change to your ticket for free if you’re scheduled to travel on March 14 or 15.

JetBlue

If you planned to travel through one of these 21 airports – including LaGuardia, JFK or Washington’s Reagan National Airport – on March 14, JetBlue (JBLU) will waive the change/cancel fees (between $100 and $150) and fare differences if the original ticket was booked before March 11. If your flight was canceled, you can opt for a full refund. Customers may rebook their flights for travel from March 13 through March 19. Here’s where you can check your flight status.

Snowplows work to keep the grounds clear at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Tuesday, March 14, 2017. (AP)
Snowplows work to keep the grounds clear at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Tuesday, March 14, 2017. (AP)

United

Due to widespread flight cancellations, United Airlines (UAL) is waiving the $200 change fee for travelers looking for alternative flights. If you’re traveling to/from/through these 34 airports on March 14 or 15, United will let you book a new flight at no cost, as long as travel is rescheduled in the same cabin (any fare class) and between the originally ticketed cities.​​ New itineraries must begin on or before March 17.

Southwest

Southwest (LUV) will cancel 1,300 flights between Monday and Wednesday because of Stella. In response, the airline is reminding customers flying through these 22 airports that they can alter their travel plans and rebook tickets in the original class of service at no cost. Travelers can also choose to fly standby within 14 days of their original date of travel.

Spirit Airlines

Modification charge ($100) and fare difference fees will be waived for Spirit (SAVE) customers traveling through these 10 airports on March 14 and 15. If travel is rebooked after March 18, the modification charge is waived, but a fare difference may apply.

Virgin America

Travelers flying to/from/through JFK International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on March 14-15 may change their travel plans without paying the $150 change fee or the difference in fares for travel through March 19.

Travelers may also cancel their itineraries without incurring cancellation fees.

Additional travel disruptions:

Amtrak

Amtrak will be running a modified schedule to and from Washington, DC on March 14.

Because of the storm, service between New York City and Boston and Empire Service between New York City and Albany, NY, are suspended until further notice. Additionally, the Acela Express and Northeast Regional service that operate between New York City and Washington, DC, will run on a modified schedule, with some trains truncated or cancelled, including some trains that operate in Virginia.

Passengers with travel plans can confirm their train’s status, change their plans or review refund information using a range of tools – including Amtrak.com, smartphone apps or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.

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