Travel Changes Due To Weather Will Cost You

COLORADO SPRINGS – Thecolder weather and snow we’re expecting this week shouldn’taffect air travel in Colorado Springs or Denver, at least that’s what the airlineshope. Last December, during our second and third major snowstorms, United and Frontier Airlines waived ticket change fees for passengers. This Thanksgiving, though, those changes will most likely cost you.

“You are kind of at their mercy at that point,” says Joni White, president of Taylor Travel in northeast Colorado Springs. “It’s their product and it’s their rules and they can bend and break them any way they like.”

Airlines will drop the change fees if its anticipated that weather will force cancellations in the coming days.

“We only cancel flights if we’re in unsafe flying conditions, but particularly for this week, we don’t anticipate that at all,” says Frontier Airlines Spokesperson Joe Hodas. “We would not (waive fees) on a case-by-case basis simply because short of canceling the flight, in very few situations is there reason to allow for re-booking.”

Last minute, freechanges are slightly easier for hotels and car rentals, where availability may not be a problem, but Whitesays airlines are more strict, especially around Thanksgiving.

“Usually last minute travel is pretty expensive, but the big issue is going to be, even if there are seats on the planes right now,” says White.

Most airlines charge a minimum of $100 just to change your ticket. You’ll most likely also have to pay the price difference between your ticket and the new ticket.

“Since you are changing probably from a discounted, advanced purchase ticket, to now a walk-up ticket with extremely full flights, that change can be considerable,” says White. “Make sure you make notes who you speak to, what time, so that if something does happen and they’re promised you something, you know who to tell them you spoke to, to make sure they can follow through on that.”

United Airlines promised NEWSCHANNEL 13 a written statement as to why it wouldn’t offer passengers any fee waivers as a precaution, but we never received that statement.

FAA Flight Delay Information(To pull up Colorado Springs Airport, type in “COS” under the “Search by Airport” tab or use the “View by Region” tab and select “Northwestern States”).