Airlines advise travelers to check weather conditions before heading to the airport
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Flying out of town for the holiday? As the first major winter storm brings heavy snow, strong winds, and dangerous cold on Thursday and Friday, airlines want people heading for the airport to double check online and plan ahead.
Chopper 2 flew over Midway Airport on Monday and big snow clearing machines are ready. Southwest Airlines is already planning for problems if the storm hits. The airline said there could be service disruptions there, at O'Hare, and in several other cities.
Santa Claus and his reindeer helpers were out at O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday, trying to bring a little holiday cheer to stressed-out travelers. Airlines are preparing for flight cancellations and delays on Thursday and Friday because of the big winter storm coming in.
Travelers flying out on Wednesday were glad to be traveling before the big storm arrives.
Most airlines are allowing customers to re-book without paying any extra charges.
United Airlines is waiving change fees and the difference in fares if you are rebooking a flight currently scheduled between Wednesday and Sunday, as long as you rebook for a flight on or before Dec. 30, and "as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed," according to United's website. View your reservation and select Change Flight to search for alternate flights.
The waiver for the Midwest winter storm applies to the following airports:
- Appleton, WI (ATW)
- Cedar Rapids, IA (CID)
- Chicago-O'Hare, IL (ORD)
- Decatur, IL (DEC)
- Des Moines, IA (DSM)
- Duluth, MN (DLH)
- Eau Claire, WI (EAU)
- Fort Dodge, IA (FOD)
- Fort Wayne, IN (FWA)
- Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)
- Green Bay, WI (GRB)
- Hancock, MI (CMX)
- Indianapolis, IN (IND)
- Kansas City, MO (MCI)
- Lincoln, NE (LNK)
- Madison, WI (MSN)
- Mason City, IA (MCW)
- Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
- Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)
- Moline, IL (MLI)
- Omaha, NE (OMA)
- Peoria, IL (PIA)
- Sioux City, IA (SUX)
- Sioux Falls, SD (FSD)
- South Bend, IN (SBN)
- Springfield, IL (SPI)
- St. Louis, MO (STL)
- Traverse City, MI (TVC)
According to American Airlines "when severe weather or other uncontrollable events impact your flight and travel dates, you may be able to change your trip with no change fee."
The airline has a link for Winter weather - Midwestern U.S. for travel alerts. American Airlines has a list of cities and conditions regarding change.
If you're traveling to/through/from:
- Appleton, Wisconsin (ATW)
- Bloomington / Normal, Illinois (BMI)
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID)
- Champaign / Urbana, Illinois (CMI)
- Chicago, Illinois (ORD)
- Columbia, Missouri (COU)
- Des Moines, Iowa (DSM)
- Fort Wayne, Indiana (FWA)
- Grand Rapids, Michigan (GRR)
- Green Bay, Wisconsin (GRB)
- Indianapolis, Indiana (IND)
- Kalamazoo / Battle Creek, Michigan (AZO)
- Kansas City, Missouri (MCI)
- La Crosse, Wisconsin (LSE)
- Madison, Wisconsin (MSN)
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MKE)
- Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota (MSP)
- Moline, Illinois (MLI)
- Omaha, Nebraska (OMA)
- Peoria, Illinois (PIA)
- Rochester, Minnesota (RST)
- Rochester, Minnesota (FSD)
- South Bend, Indiana (SBN)
- Springfield, Illinois (SPI)
- St. Louis, Missouri (STL)
- Traverse City, Michigan (TVC)
- Waterloo, Iowa (ALO)
- Wausau, Wisconsin (CWA)
The change fee is waived it you:
· Are traveling on an American Airlines flight
· Are booked in any fare class, including Basic Economy
· Bought your ticket by December 19, 2022
· Are scheduled to travel December 21 - 23, 2022
· Can travel December 19 - 30, 2022
· Don't change your origin or destination city
· Rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference
The changes must be booked by December 23, 2022 and completed within a year of the original ticket date. A difference in fare may apply. If your trip is eligible, you can make a one-time change online. Here's how:
· Find your trip
· If your trip is eligible, you'll see the option to 'change trip' in the toolbar go to Find your trip.
If you can't change your trip online, call Reservations for help or click here to Contact Reservations.
For Southwest Airlines, there's information flyers on that carrier should pay attention to. For forecasted weather conditions for the cities and dates below, our scheduled service may be disrupted (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled):
Wednesday-Friday, December 21-23
· Chicago (Midway), IL (MDW)
· Chicago (O'Hare), IL (ORD)
· Denver, CO (DEN)
· Des Moines, IA (DSM)
· Detroit, MI (DTW)
· Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)
· Indianapolis, IN (IND)
· Kansas City, MO (MCI)
· Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
· Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)
· Omaha, NE (OMA)
· St. Louis, MO (STL)
Those holding reservations to/from/through the cities listed above can rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge.
Those who purchased their itinerary via Southwest.com or through the mobile app can reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device.
People who didn't buy a ticket via Southwest.com can call 1-800-435-9792 to talk to customer service and fliers in the U.S. scheduled to travel internationally have to call 1-800-435-9792 for assistance with rebooking.
