On December 29, 2020, American Airlines flight 718, the first commercial Boeing 737 MAX flight in the United States since authorities lifted a 20-month grounding in November, takes off from Miami, Florida, United States. Reuters/Marco Bello As Tropical Storm Elsa approached Florida, major US airlines loosened their ticket-change policy for many cities. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted tropical storm conditions in the Florida Keys and southwestern Florida on Monday night into Tuesday. According to NOAA, the storm’s maximum sustained winds are currently at 65 miles per hour. For all travelers scheduled to or from Fort Meyers, Key West, Sarasota, and Tampa until July 7, American Airlines will eliminate change costs for the most restrictive tickets, basic economy, as well as any fare difference, if customers can travel no later than July 12. After that, there would be a fare difference. Delta Air Lines is offering a similar waiver for the same cities if passengers can rearrange their flights by July 10th. These cities, as well as Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, are covered by United Airlines’ waiver. In an effort to boost sales during the epidemic, those airlines eliminated ticket-change fees for standard economy and higher bookings last year. Prior to the epidemic, Southwest Airlines did not impose change fees. However, the airlines’ new policy does not apply to basic economy tickets that are non-refundable and non-changeable. Tropical storms, hurricanes, and blizzards are usually easier for airlines to prepare for since they usually have sufficient warning and can cancel flights early enough to avoid customers being trapped at the airport or employees being stranded. Summer thunderstorms can be more unexpected, causing more inconveniences, as airlines found out late last week when hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed during a busy holiday travel season./n
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