Airlines Drop Change Fees as Storm Snarls Northeast Flights

A powerful storm is disrupting air travel across the northeastern United States, forcing airlines to cancel and delay hundreds of flights over the weekend.

The storm, called a nor'easter (a strong storm along the U.S. East Coast that brings heavy rain, snow, and high winds), hit hardest around Boston and New York.

Here are the key numbers:

• ~200 flights canceled in and out of Boston on Sunday — about 15% of the day's total flights
• 260 flights canceled the day before (Saturday)
• Dozens more delayed at major airports in New England and the New York area

During big storms, airlines (companies that operate passenger planes, also called "carriers") often cancel large parts of their schedules. This helps keep planes, passengers, and crews from getting stuck in the wrong places. This time, however, most flights were kept running, and delays were smaller than in past major storms.

To help travelers, several airlines are waiving their change fees. A change fee is money airlines normally charge when you switch to a different flight. They are also skipping the "fare difference" — the extra cost you'd usually pay if the new flight is more expensive.

These airlines are offering the free changes:

• American Airlines (ticker: AAL)
• United Airlines (UAL)
• Delta Air Lines (DAL)
• JetBlue Airways (JBLU)

A ticker is the short code used to identify a company's stock on the market. Customers can rebook to airports around New York City, Boston, and smaller New England airports as long as they fly before the middle of next week.

This weekend's trouble came right after another headache earlier in the week. On Monday, an equipment outage (a technical failure of systems used to manage flights) forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights heading to New York and Philadelphia.

Bottom line: If you're flying in the Northeast, check your flight status and take advantage of the free rebooking options before conditions worsen.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/25/flights-storm-new-york-boston-east-coast.html