(The Associated Press circulated the following story on September 16.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Travelers scheduled to fly to and from parts of the East Coast this week will be allowed to alter their plans without penalties as several airlines and Amtrak eased reservation policies ahead of Hurricane Isabel.
As of yesterday afternoon, no carriers had announced flight cancellations. Forecasters said Isabel appeared to be on a course to hit tomorrow on the North Carolina coast.
Companies announced the following changes:
American Airlines customers flying in and out of six states and the nation’s capital through Tuesday will be allowed to change their flights at no extra charge. The states covered are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, North Carolina and Virginia.
United Airlines announced a similar policy for travel through Sunday. Travelers are subject to higher fares when rebooking, and travel must be completed by Nov. 15.
US Airways customers traveling to and from the Carolinas, Maryland and Virginia through Friday can rebook with no charge. The carrier’s waiver also applies to customers scheduled to fly to the Bahamas before tomorrow and to Bermuda before Sept. 28. In the event of a cancellation, US Airways said customers would be allowed, at no extra cost, to book another flight, reschedule up to seven days later, or get a full refund.
Delta Air Lines customers scheduled to take off or land between Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Atlantic City through Sunday can rebook flights at no charge and with no change of fare if they travel by the end of September.
Continental Airlines customers scheduled to fly in and out of four cities in the Southeast, and the islands of Nassau and the Bahamas before Saturday, have until Friday to book new itineraries without penalty. Travel must be completed by mid-October.
JetBlue Airways said customers scheduled to fly before Friday will be allowed to change their itinerary with no fee or fare increase, as long as they fly by the end of Saturday. Beyond that, the change fee will be waived, but any fare increase will apply.
Amtrak canceled some trains in the Southeast for today and tomorrow, as well as a Washington-bound train leaving today from Chicago. Some trains that were to travel north from Richmond, Va., will instead leave from Washington. Passengers can obtain a refund or reschedule at no charge.