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Men inspect flood damage following Hurricane Helene September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Sean Rayford | Getty Images News | Getty Images
As the Southeastern United States recovers from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, consumers looking to change their air travel plans to or from affected areas without facing financial consequences may not have lucky, according to experts.
“The overall problem in U.S. air travel: When there is a significant disruption, air passengers have very, very limited rights” to compensation, said Eric Napoli, general counsel for ‘AirHelp, an online service that helps airline passengers.
“Catastrophic damage”
The North Carolina Department of Transportation urged people to avoid unnecessary travel in the western part of the state due to hundreds of road closures due to downed trees, mudslides and “catastrophic damage.”
What airlines owe passengers
Amid this destruction, travelers hoping to change flights for free or cancel their plans for a refund could find themselves faced with airlines unwilling to grant this financial flexibility.
Airlines generally do owe “prompt” repayments to passengers if they cancel or make a “significant change” to a flight, for any reason, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. This is true even for consumers with non-refundable tickets.
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However, weather-related events, like Hurricane Helene, are generally considered beyond the control of airlines, meaning passengers have relatively few rights to compensation, experts say.
In such cases, the airline’s obligations generally depend on the passenger’s specific fare, such as economy or business class, Napoli explained.
“There is nothing [airlines] will do the job for you” if your conference has been canceled and you don’t have a ticket offering free cancellation or no change fees, he said.
Airlines make concessions in certain cases
Damage to a store in Valdosta, Georgia from Hurricane Helene.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Some airlines are making concessions related to Hurricane Helene, although these vary by carrier and geography.
“All the rules are different,” said Sally French, travel expert at NerdWallet.
Many major U.S. carriers have dedicated travel alert web pages outlining their policies regarding specific events, she said.
For example, American airlines, Delta Airlines And United Airlines have flood warnings in the South East. Many focus on areas around Asheville, North Carolinaand certain regions of Georgia such as city of Valdosta.
United is waiving change fees and fare differences for passengers whose flight was affected by flooding and who choose to reschedule their flight, for example.
United’s policy has parameters: passengers must have purchased their ticket before September 26 to travel between September 30 and October 31, 2024; the new flight must be a United flight departing by the end of 2024 and between the same cities as originally booked. Those who cancel can get a full refund.
American Airlines is also giving some leeway to passengers who need to pass through Augusta, Georgia, between September 29 and October 4. They must reserve their changes before October 4.
Delta passengers needing to travel through Asheville or Valdosta must travel on changed flights before October 18 to avoid paying a fare difference. However, change fees will still be waived after this date.
Read the specifics of insurance policies
Travel insurance is not always foolproof security in the event that consumers cannot get reimbursed by the travel provider for a flight, hotel or other travel expenses, experts said.
If you don’t have a cancellation policy for any reason, your travel issues should generally fall under specific, covered reasons. Additionally, policies purchased after Helen became a named storm generally do not cover claims related to it.
“Make sure you read the fine print and what the insurance actually covers,” Napoli said.
Consumers who purchased their travel with a credit card can receive some travel reimbursement benefits from their card issuer, sometimes even during severe weather, French said. Credit card companies typically require “prompt processing” of a claim, often within 21 days, she said.