Hurricane Helene, the name of the tropical storm that started out in the Caribbean Sea and is now slated to hit Florida and the rest of the Gulf Coast in coming days, has already started to bring heavy winds and havoc to parts of the southeastern U.S.
Weather experts are already predicting a Category 3 hurricane, which could pack wind speeds of as much as 125 miles an hour and could be the biggest storm to hit the U.S. in the past year.
Airlines and cruise lines, in turn, have started issuing warnings about the period Sept. 25 to 27.
Related: Here’s what Carnival Cruise Lines just said about Hurricane Helene
Due to the forecast path of Tropical Storm Helene, travel to “certain destinations” might be affected, Delta Air Lines (DAL) writes on its website. The carrier encourages travelers who may be unsure to “check flight status frequently for up-to-the-minute information.”
These airlines are already offering Hurricane Helene travel vouchers
Those taking the airline to get to or from destinations such as Florida’s Daytona Beach, Fort Myers and Tampa, Georgia’s Savannah and Valdosta, and Mexico’s Cancun, among others are encouraged to do so. (A full list of affected destinations can be found on Delta’s site.) Delta will issue a voucher waiving any fare difference for travel completed up to Oct. 4.
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American Airlines (AAL) and United Airlines (UAL) are issuing similar waivers for travel to destinations that include Cozumel, Tulum, Gainesville and Miami, among others, so long as the travel was purchased before Sept. 24 and will be completed by early October. (The Sept. 24 initial date was aimed to prevent some people from buying cheap tickets now and then rescheduling the flights to a more expensive day later.)
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‘Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities’
“You can reschedule your trip and we’ll waive change fees and fare differences, but your new flight must be a United flight departing between Sept. 28, 2024, and Oct. 7, 2024,” United specifies on its website. “Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked.”
Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines (SAVE) has also issued a travel advisory for flights that it runs to Cancun, Fort Myers, Orlando, Pensacola, and Tampa. The fare difference for rebooking travel to or from the last four cities will be waived for flights departing from Sept. 25 to 27 while the Cancun flights need to have been booked for Sept. 24 to 25 as Helene has already made landfall in Mexico. The waived period will run until Oct. 2.
“There may be times when severe weather or other unexpected events impact Spirit’s normal operations,” the carrier specifies. “During these times, Spirit may issue a flexible travel policy to accommodate our guests who may need to change their travel plans.”
For those who have already started their travel and find themselves unable to complete it due to the storm, the regular cancellation rules apply.
The contract of carriage requires the airline to get a traveler to a final destination. But beware: Trying to reach a representative at a time of disruptions affecting tens of thousands of others is often a lengthy and frustrating process.
