Airlines are issuing travel alerts for a large portion of Texas as well as Louisiana and Arkansas as Hurricane Beryl approaches the Texas coast. Passengers traveling to/from the affected airports have the ability to make changes to their itineraries as the storm is expected to make landfall on Monday near Matagorda Bay.
American Airlines
American has issued a travel alert for passengers traveling between July 7th and 9th either to, through, or from the following airports:
- Austin, Texas (AUS)
- Beaumont / Port Arthur, Texas (BPT)
- Brownsville, Texas (BRO)
- College Station, Texas (CLL)
- Corpus Christi, Texas (CRP)
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (FSM)
- Harlingen, Texas (HRL)
- Houston-Hobby, Texas (HOU)
- Houston-Intercontinental, Texas (IAH)
- Lake Charles, Louisiana (LCH)
- Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT)
- Longview, Texas (GGG)
- McAllen / Mission, Texas (MFE)
- Shreveport, Louisiana (SHV)
- Texarkana, Arkansas (TXK)
- Tyler, Texas (TYR)
Changes must be booked by July 9th with travel commencing by July 16th. Changes to the origin and destination cities are not allowed and travel must occur in the same class of service.
Delta Air Lines
Delta has also issued a travel advisory for passengers traveling between July 7th and 9th, though theirs impacts a much smaller number of airports. It also appears, based on the inclusion of San Antonio, the airline anticipated the storm making landfall further west. The following cities are covered by Delta’s alert:
- Austin, Texas (AUS)
- Houston-Hobby, Texas (HOU)
- Houston-Intercontinental, Texas (IAH)
- McAllen / Mission, Texas (MFE)
- San Antonio, Texas (SAT)
Passengers must rebook by July 12th for travel beginning by July 12th. If travel is rebooked for after July 12th, a fare difference may apply. Changes to origins and destinations are allowed but may result in an increase in fare.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest is one of the two airlines likely to see the greatest impacts to the operation from the storm. The carrier operates focus cities in Austin and Houston, both of which are covered by the advisory. Southwest’s advisory covers passengers traveling between July 6th and 9th, to, from, or through the following airports:
- Austin, TX (AUS)
- Corpus Christi, TX (CRP)
- Harlingen, TX (HRL)
- Houston-Hobby, TX (HOU)
- Houston-Intercontinental, TX (IAH)
- San Antonio, TX (SAT)
Affected passengers have 14 days from the scheduled date of travel to rebook between the same city-pairs without incurring any additional fees. We’ve seen Hobby airport flood in the past from heavy rainfall so Southwest’s operation will be one to watch.
United Airlines
United will arguably be the most impacted of the four largest U.S. carriers due to its massive hub at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). United passengers traveling to/from/through the following airports between July 7th and 9th are covered under the advisory:
- Austin, Texas (AUS)
- Brownsville, Texas (BRO)
- Corpus Christi, Texas (CRP)
- Harlingen, Texas (HRL)
- Houston-Intercontinental, Texas (IAH)
- McAllen, Texas (MFE)
- Victoria, Texas (VCT)
Affected passengers at the above airports can rebook their flights with change fees and fare differences waved between now and July 16th. Travel must be in the same cabin of service and between the same city-pairs as originally booked.
Summary
As Hurricane Beryl approaches the Texas coast, many airlines have issues travel alerts as far away as Arkansas due to the expected impact of the storm. Passengers have the ability to rebook or modify their flights if they are traveling to, from, or through the affected airports. With today being one of, if not the busiest travel day of 2024, I’m hoping that operations are impacted as little as possible. Check with your airline for the status of your specific flights.
