ATLANTA -- Airlines have been busy expanding their change-fee waivers to the north, moving to include airports in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina as they scrambled keep up with Hurricane Irma's track toward the U.S. mainland.
Most airlines already had waivers in place for Caribbean destinations, but they began adding Florida airports to their lists during the past few days. Now those waivers have been expanded as Irma’s track increasingly looks as though it will take the storm north through Florida and into Georgia and South Carolina.
#HurricaneIrma weather waiver has expanded to include ATL & other Georgia airports for travel booked through 9/17: https://t.co/LXQyHZNTY3
— Delta (@Delta) September 8, 2017
Departures from South Florida airports are expected through 7 p.m. Friday before operations cease.
— Delta (@Delta) September 8, 2017
Perhaps most ominously for fliers, Delta and Southwest were now including Atlanta among the cities covered by their policies. That comes as the latest Irma forecasts suggest the storm could move inland toward the city earlier next week. Atlanta, of course, is home to the world's busiest airport and is Delta's top hub.
Alabama joined the list Friday, too, when Southwest included Birmingham it in its Irma rebooking policy.
By 2 p.m. on Friday, a half-dozen U.S. airlines had added airports in states north of Florida to their latest weather waivers.
Click for links to the latest Irma re-booking waivers now in place at U.S. airlines:
► TRACKING IRMA: Live updates and video
► CHECKLIST: Your hurricane season supply kit
► FOLLOW US: Follow StormTrackers Chris Holcomb, Chesley McNeil and Samantha Mohr
