Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Yet another winter storm is bearing down on the northeast, while at the same time California deals with the aftermath of mudslides. Many airlines have travel waivers issued for one or both situations, allowing free flight changes to help those affected by the severe weather.Winter storm “Hunter” is expected to coat much of the Northeast with ice and snow, with parts of upstate New York expected to receive up to 18 inches of snow:Image courtesy of Weather Underground.These continuing weather issues underscore yet again the importance of booking flights with a credit card that offers trip delay and cancellation insurance. After all, airlines aren’t responsible for paying for your meals or hotels in the case of weather-related delays/cancellations. That’s why you want to cover yourself by booking with cards such as:Citi Prestige ($500 per passenger for 3+ hour delay)Chase Sapphire Reserve ($500 per ticket for 6+ hour or overnight delay), orChase Sapphire Preferred ($500 per ticket for 12+ hour or overnight delay)Northeast Winter StormAmerican AirlinesTravel dates: January 12Airports covered: Albany, New York (ALB); Allentown, Pennsylvania (ABE); Boston, Massachusetts (BOS); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (MDT); Hartford, Connecticut (BDL); Islip, New York (ISP); Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts (MVY); New Haven, Connecticut (HVN); New York Kennedy, New York (JFK); New York LaGuardia, New York (LGA); Newark, New Jersey (EWR); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL); Portland, Maine (PWM); Providence, Rhode Island (PVD); Stewart Newburgh, New York (SWF); White Plains / Westchester County, New York (HPN); Wilkes-Barre / Scranton, Pennsylvania (HVP)Must have purchased your ticket by January 11Rebook travel anytime between January 12-15You can’t change your origin or destination city. Must rebook in same cabin or pay the difference.DeltaTravel date: January 12Airports covered: Newburgh, NY (SWF); New York - Kennedy, NY (JFK); New York - LaGuardia, NY (LGA); Newark, NJ (EWR); White Plains, NY (HPN)Ticket must be reissued by: January 15Rebooked travel must begin no later than: January 15When rescheduled travel occurs beyond January 15, the change fee will be waived. However, a difference in fare may apply. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity, one year from date of original issue.If travel is not able to be rescheduled within these guidelines, customers may cancel their reservation and apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for a period of one year from the original ticket issuance. Applicable change fee and fare difference will apply for new travel dates.SouthwestTravel date: January 12Airports covered: Cincinnati (CVG); Cleveland (CLE); Columbus (CMH); Detroit (DTW); Flint (FNT); Grand Rapids (GRR); Indianapolis (IND); Louisville (SDF); Memphis (MEM); Nashville (BNA); Pittsburgh (PIT)Travel dates: January 12-14Airports covered: Buffalo (BUF) and Rochester (ROC)Customers who are holding reservations on these specific dates and want to alter their travel plans may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with [Southwest’s] accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.UnitedTravel dates: January 12-13Airports covered: New York/Newark, NJ (EWR); New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK); New York-LaGuardia, NY (LGA); White Plains, NY (HPN)The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new United flights departing on or before January 16, as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed.California MudslidesSeventeen people were killed as mudslides wiped out dozens of homes and damaged hundreds more. To help those travelers impacted by the disaster, the following airlines have released travel waivers:Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Alaska AirlinesTravel dates: January 11-15Airports covered: Santa Barbara (SBA)Must have purchased your ticket by January 11Rebook travel anytime between now and January 18American AirlinesTravel dates: January 11-12Airports covered: Santa Barbara (SBA)Must have purchased your ticket by January 10Rebook travel anytime between January 11-15You can’t change your origin or destination city. Must rebook in same cabin or pay the difference.UnitedTravel date: January 11-15Airports covered: Santa Barbara (SBA)The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new United flights departing on or before January 18, as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed.Virgin AmericaTravel date: January 11-15Airports covered: Santa Barbara (SBA)Tickets must be exchanged or refunded on or before January 18To modify an existing reservation during this period, you may contact our Call Center at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN* (877.359.8474) for assistance. Or manage your reservation online: Change your flight. Cancel or refund your flight.
