Hurricane Ida: Airline advisories, travel waiver information [Updated]

Hurricane Ida weakened to a tropical storm today after the U.S. Gulf Coast braced itself for more troubling weather. In Nicaragua last week, Hurricane Ida destroyed homes, damaged schools and bridges as it moved through the Caribbean. Currently, the National Hurricane Center has a public advisory on its site.

“A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Grand Isle Louisiana eastward to the Aucilla River Florida … including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.”

[Updated at 9 a.m. Nov. 10: Ida made landfall in Alabama but has weakened considerably and was headed toward the northeast, the National Hurricane Center said.]

U.S. airlines are alerting travelers that flights may be affected in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Here are some change policies listed on their websites:

Delta: States that you may make a one-time change to your ticket without fee if you are scheduled to travel to, from, or through the following destinations: Fort Walton, Fla. (VPS), Gulfport, Miss. (GPT), Mobile, Ala. (MOB), New Orleans, La. (MSY), Panama City, Fla. (PFN), Pensacola, Fla. (PNS) and Tallahassee, Fla. (TLH) for impacted travel on Nov. 9-10. Read the  Delta Weather Alert page for Hurricane Ida for full details and restrictions. Contact: (800) 221-1212.

Continental: Offers the option to reschedule or re-route your travel once, without penalty, if you are ticketed to/from one of these cities with original travel dates on Nov. 9-11: New Orleans, La. (MSY), Baton Rouge, La. (BTR), Lafayette, La. (LFT), Lake Charles, La. (LCH), Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss. (GPT), Mobile, Ala. (MOB), Pensacola, Fla. (PNS), Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (VPS). If your flight has been cancelled, a refund to the original form of payment can be requested. Get full information about their re-accommodations policy here.

American Airlines: I couldn’t find a specific reference to Ida on its website. American does list a Hurricane Protection Policy for its travelers. It says it is valid for passengers ticketed for travel within the area and dates of a hurricane watch issued by the United States National Hurricane Center.

U.S. Airways: Waived the standard change fee, advance reservation and ticketing requirements for customers with travel to, from or through Mobile, Ala.; Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Pensacola, Fla.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss. Nov. 9 - Nov. 11. See the travel advisory page for more information on its revised ticket policy.

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

Photo: Satellite photo shows Hurricane Ida, after being downgraded to a tropical storm, swirling off the coast of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, Nov. 9. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:07 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Airline travel, Florida, New Orleans & Louisiana, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.