What to Do if Your Travel Plans Have Been Affected by Hurricane Ian

Throughout Florida, many airports have closed and some hotels have begun preparing to accept evacuees instead of tourists. As of Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Ian had already contributed to the cancellation of more than 4,000 flights, most within Florida, according to Kathleen Bangs, a spokeswoman for FlightAware, a flight-tracking company.

The effects on air travel, in Florida and beyond, are likely to continue through the weekend. Here’s what to know if your travel plans are affected by Hurricane Ian.

Your flight was canceled because of the storm. What now?

Extreme weather events are outside airlines’ control, so you cannot automatically expect a full refund if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed. But some airlines, including American, Frontier and JetBlue, are offering full refunds anyway.

Other airlines are offering credit to those who opt not to rebook, or waiving change fees for those who do — but read the details carefully because there are many restrictions.

Here are what some major airlines are doing:

• American: Travelers affected by Hurricane Ian can obtain a full refund for canceled flights or rebook without a change fee, provided travel is rescheduled by Oct. 8 and completed within one year of the original ticket, according to an airline spokeswoman.

• Delta: Travelers flying from, to or through affected Florida airports can avoid change fees so long as they complete travel within a year of the original ticket, according to Delta’s website. Fare differences will only be waived for flights rebooked by Oct. 3. Travelers who do not rebook can obtain a credit.

• Frontier: Frontier is among the hardest-hit airlines, canceling a larger percentage of flights Wednesday than any other carrier. Customers can rebook for free, even if they change departure and arrival cities, as long as travel occurs by Oct. 10. Those who do not rebook canceled flights can obtain a full refund.

• JetBlue: Travelers going to, from or through affected cities in Florida can rebook for free as long as all rescheduled travel occurs by Oct. 6. Travelers with canceled flights may request a full refund.

• Southwest: Travelers scheduled to fly out of, into, or through Tampa, Orlando and nine other airports in Florida can rebook to other airports within Florida without a fee, according to the company’s site. Travelers flying in or out of Charleston, S.C., or Savannah, Ga., can also rebook for a later date without a charge. Travel must occur within 14 days of the originally…