Airlines are waiving costly change fees amid Winter Storm Bruce, which threatens to cause additional headaches for Thanksgiving air travelers returning home this weekend.
The storm is expected to bring heavy snowfall, gusty winds and blizzard conditions to many places in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions through the remainder of the Thanksgiving travel period, which was already projected to be the busiest ever.
United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines are among those notable carriers who have issued winter storm waivers allowing customers to make flight changes at no additional cost.
The details vary by airline. However, most cover major cities throughout the Midwest such as Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City and Milwaukee, among others, for travel through Monday. Passengers will have either several days or up to a couple of weeks in some cases to complete rebooked travel with no fee.
Due to the winter weather in the Midwest, we’ve issued a travel waiver. View more details here: https://t.co/a2HNLAAf5k
https://t.co/a2HNLAAf5k— Delta (@Delta) November 23, 2018
Due to Winter Storm Bruce, a travel advisory has been issued. See more info here: https://t.co/GgSa1WqULX
Please check your current flight status here: https://t.co/yuPJDPxeNu
If you need to change your plans, you can do so by visiting https://t.co/63cNLOQZ8D. pic.twitter.com/OjadjEXEVZ— Spirit Airlines (@SpiritAirlines) November 25, 2018
We have expanded our travel waiver in anticipation of winter weather in the Midwest. Please check your flight status on our mobile app or at https://t.co/7fA7qou73B before going to the airport. A travel waiver is in effect for changes: https://t.co/IF60Hh7jBZ pic.twitter.com/58gJcqNFyy
— United Airlines (@united) November 24, 2018
Cancellations were piling up at both of Chicago’s airports as well as Kansas City International Airport Sunday morning. According to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, O’Hare International Airport was closing in on 200 cancellations while Kansas City had experienced more than 80 canceled flights as of 10 a.m. ET.
As always, travelers are encouraged to check their flight status with their airline before arriving at the airport.
Earlier this month, AAA projected the largest growth in Thanksgiving travel to be by air, with 4.27 million Americans expected to take to the skies between Wednesday, November 21 and Sunday, November 25.
Meanwhile, drivers should exercise caution and leave themselves plenty of extra time as road conditions are expected to become dangerous across a large swath of the Midwest through Sunday into Monday.
Dangerous travel conditions are expected Sunday and Sunday night as #WinterStormBruce rapidly moves from the Plains into the Great Lakes: https://t.co/pUOImEFMce pic.twitter.com/hbF3SvZWyo
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) November 25, 2018