Airlines waive change fees for several Florida cities as Tropical Storm Elsa nears

KEY POINTS

• Tropical Storm Elsa hit Cuba and was expected to move northwest, near Florida's Gulf Coast.
• NOAA said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph on Monday.
• American, Delta and United relaxed ticket change policies for customers with flights in and out of several Florida cities this week.

American Airlines flight 718, the first U.S. Boeing 737 MAX commercial flight since regulators lifted a 20-month grounding in November, takes off from Miami, Florida, U.S. December 29, 2020.

Marco Bello | Reuters

Major U.S. airlines relaxed ticket change policies for several Florida cities as Tropical Storm Elsa approached the state.

Heavy rains and high winds are likely in western Florida through Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph, the NOAA said.

Tampa International Airport said it would suspend passenger flights from 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday and plans to reopen at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

American Airlines said it would waive change fees for the most restrictive tickets, basic economy, as well as any fare difference for all travelers booked to or from Fort Myers, Key West, Sarasota and Tampa through July 7, if customers can travel no later than July 12. A fare difference would apply after that.

Delta Air Lines issued a similar waiver for the same cities if travelers can change their tickets to fly no later than July 10. United Airlines' waiver covers those cities as well as Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach and Orlando.

Those airlines last year scrapped ticket change fees for standard economy bookings and up, an effort to spur sales during the pandemic. Competitor Southwest Airlines didn't charge change fees before the coronavirus pandemic.

But the airlines' new policy does not cover nonrefundable and nonchangeable basic economy tickets.

Tropical storms, hurricanes and blizzards are often easier for airlines to prepare for because they usually have advanced warning and can cancel flights early enough to avoid customers getting stranded at the airport or have crews out of place.

More unpredictable summer thunderstorms can cause greater disruptions, as carriers experienced late last week when hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed during a busy holiday travel period.