How will Winter Storm Quinn affect flights? Here’s what you should know
You may have dodged Winter Storm Riley, but you’re not out of the woods just yet — Winter Storm Quinn is on its way, and it’s not looking pretty. If you travel for work (or if you planned a March vacation, since, why not?) you may be wondering if Winter Storm Quinn will affect flights. Here’s what we know so far.
Meteorologists from The Weather Channel think Winter Storm Quinn will impact multiple areas of the country this week. The storm developed in the Rockies on Monday, February 5th, before heading into the northern Plains and the upper Midwest with blizzard-like conditions and a lot of wind.
The storm is expected to hit the Northeast on Wednesday, March 7th, and Thursday, March 8th. The good news is that while Winter Storm Quinn is expected to disrupt some travel, it’s not expected to be as strong as Riley.
That may be good news for travelers, too, since many airlines have yet to announce official cancellations. Many, however, have already waived change/cancellations fees for flights to and from the affected areas. JetBlue noted on March 5th that anyone flying to and from select locations in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island will have their fees waived. Travelers are also encouraged to check the status of their flight online before heading to the airport.
Virgin America is also encouraging travelers to check their flights in these regions ahead of time, and are offering a waiver for tickets bought on or before March 5th for travel between March 6th and March 7th. Travel can be changed up until March 13th. Delta also announced waivers for those who may be affected.
A travel waiver has been issued for March 7-8 due to the forecasted winter weather in the Northeast. Details regarding the waiver can be found here: https://t.co/lh6zISdMxN If you need to change travel plans, you can do so at https://t.co/N05dFCEDwu
— Delta (@Delta) March 5, 2018
Frontier Airlines focused on flights out of Madison and Milwaukee, and Minneapolis/St. Paul that were scheduled both yesterday and today, March 6th. They’re allowing travelers to “make one itinerary change” according to their website, and any flight changes need to be completed by March 19th. Their policy states that both the origin and destination cities can be changed.
With the expected impact on travel conditions from Winter Weather Storm Quinn, customers scheduled to travel to/from/through #Minneapolis, #Madison, and #Milwaukee between March 5th and March 6th may be eligible to make itinerary changes.
Details: https://t.co/yFprl6UYIO pic.twitter.com/U66RAFeSew
— Frontier Airlines (@FlyFrontier) March 5, 2018
Spirit Airlines is offering a waiver for select East Coast destinations for March 7th. American Airlines is offering a waived change fee for airports throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania if tickets were purchased on or before March 5th for March 7th and 8th (though the destination must be the same).
As all flights may change at the last minute based on weather, it’s always a good idea to check you flight status online.
No matter what, make sure to stay safe!