Hurricane Paula travel update: Airlines relax rules on ticket changes

As Hurricane Paula brushed Mexico‘s Yucatan Peninsula and headed for Cuba on Wednesday, airlines loosened their rules on change fees and fare differences for passengers whose travel plans to resort towns, primarily Cancún and Cozumel in Mexico, have been or may be disrupted by the storm.

Click on the links below to read the waiver rules, which vary from airline to airline. Note too that some airlines prefer that you call while others provide instructions on how to change a reservation online. If you don’t find your airline below, and are traveling to or from the hurricane area, go the airline’s website or call to learn about canceled flights and ticket change policies.

Policies may change, so check back with the airline often.

American Airlines [(800) 433-7300] says passengers who were scheduled to travel Tuesday or Wednesday to or from Cancún and Cozumel may change their tickets once and begin travel as late as Oct. 17 without fees or penalties. The airline advises passengers to call to make ticket changes.

Continental Airlines [(800) 523-3273)] announced its flights to Cancún and Cozumel may be canceled due to the hurricane. Passengers who were scheduled to fly Tuesday or Wednesday to or from the Mexican cities and who reschedule and travel by Oct. 27 will not be charged change fees or fare differences; for other dates, the change fee will be waived but fare differences may apply. Check the airline’s website for online directions on how to rebook or apply for a refund.

Frontier Airlines [(800) 432-1359] says passengers holding tickets with departure dates Tuesday or Wednesday to or from Cancún will be able to make a one-time change to their ticket. Frontier has slightly different policies for passengers who are en route, as opposed to those who haven’t yet begun travel. In both cases, change fees will be waived.

Spirit Airlines [(800) 772-7117 for English; (800) 756-7117 for Spanish] will waive change fees and differences in fares for passengers who were scheduled to travel between Tuesday and Thursday to “affected areas” (most likely Cancún, as they don’t fly to other destinations in Mexico). Customers must make the change before the original date of departure and travel on or before Nov. 17. Spirit instructs passengers to call to change their tickets.

United Airlines [(800) 538-2929] is offering changes on flights to and from Cancún and Cozumel for passengers ticketed to fly Tuesday or Wednesday. The airline urges ticketed passengers to rebook as soon as possible and provides online instructions on what to do if your flight has been canceled and what to do if you need to rebook a flight.