Explainers

Hurricane Dorian: What travelers need to know about flight waivers, cruises, theme parks

By Debbie Lord and Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Debbie Lord and Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Labor Day weekend is a profitable one for Florida’s tourism industry with many people hoping to get in a last-minute vacation as summer ends.

But with a major hurricane looming, travelers are wondering if they can change or cancel their plans without forfeiting the money they shelled out for tickets on airlines and cruise ships and at Florida’s theme parks, like Walt Disney World.

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The likely Florida landfall of Dorian has the airlines, cruise lines and theme parks offering to make good on travel plans without charging a fee to reschedule trips after the hurricane has come and gone.  
Here's a look at their hurricane policies as of Friday.

Airlines

The information below is for domestic flights. Click on the airline's name to get information on flights booked to the Caribbean.

  • American: If you are traveling to, through or from the following Florida cities through Wednesday without changing the origin or destination city or cabin, and if you have booked reservations by Aug. 29, change fees will be waived as long as travel is completed by Sept. 11. The cities are: Daytona Beach (DAB), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Gainesville (GNV), Jacksonville (JAX), Key West (EYW), Melbourne (MLB), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), Sarasota/Bradenton, Tallahassee (SRQ), Tampa (TPA) and West Palm Beach (PBI).
  • Delta: Passengers who had tickets traveling through the following cities in Florida and Georgia by Wednesday can rebook their flights for travel to be completed by Sept. 10 without paying a change fee. The cities are: Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Key West, Melbourne, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota/Bradenton, Tallahassee, Tampa, West Palm Beach. In Georgia: Brunswick (BQK) and Valdosta (VLD). Delta is also waiving all baggage and pet in cabin fees for travel to and from the cities during the dates noted.
  • Frontier: Customers who made reservations by Aug. 28 to travel to, from or through the following Florida cities by Tuesday will incur no change fees if they make one itinerary change. The cities are: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota/Bradenton, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Travel must be completed by Sept. 27. If a flight is canceled, customers can click here to request a refund.
  • JetBlue: Customers traveling to or from the following Florida cities and who purchased tickets by Aug. 29 for travel by Tuesday will not be charged a rebooking fee for travel through Sept. 10. The cities are: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Orlando, Palm Beach, Sarasota/Bradenton and Tampa.
  • Spirit: If your flight is scheduled through Tuesday to, from or through the following Florida cities, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, rebooking fees will be waived as long as the trip is made by Sept. 18.
  • Southwest: Travelers can rebook flights for free if they are flying to, from or through the following Florida cities through Wednesday. You can rebook for free in the original class of service or travel standby within 14 days of the original departure date. The cities are: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers,  Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach.
  • United: Passengers traveling to, from or through the following Florida cities through Wednesday can rebook without a fee as long as travel is rescheduled through Sept. 11. The cities are: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Key West, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota/Bradenton, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

Cruise ship information

If you had a cruise planned for next week, here are links to the cruise line pages for information. Most lines have rerouted ship routes to avoid Dorian. For instance, the Disney cruise ship Dream will be sailing to Mexico instead of its scheduled Caribbean cruise.

Some cruises are still be evaluated. Here are the links to some cruise lines.

Disney, Sea World and other theme parks

Cox Media Group

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