In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Malibu area of Los Angeles County, California, are seen on January 9, 2025.
Josh Adelson | AFP | Getty Images
Airlines are extending travel exemptions at Los Angeles Airport as wildfires continue to burn across the region.
American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways LAX and other airlines serving the area have waived flight change fees for travelers booked to fly to Los Angeles while the city grapples with power outages, water shortages and conservation concerns for more than 10,000 homes and other buildings of complete damage.
Airports in the region were operating normally on Friday, but parts of the city were still in the grip of wildfires, according to flight tracking platform FlightAware. Power outages were reported throughout Los Angeles County, and local residents in the hard-hit Pacific Palisades area were told to boil or use bottled water. Parts of the county remain under evacuation orders as firefighters try to contain the blaze.
American Airlines said Friday that passengers booked to fly to and from Hollywood Burbank Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario International Airport and John Wayne Airport serving Orange County can rebook without paying if they can fly as late as January. Change fee or fare difference.
Southwest Airlines said wildfires may affect service at these airports, and travelers can rebook within 14 days of their original travel date at no additional cost. Customers can also change trips to other California cities: Palm Springs, Santa Barbara and San Diego, the company said.
At the same time, a Delta Air Lines Company executives said on Friday that flight sales to Los Angeles, one of the airline’s busiest hubs and home to high-value business and leisure travel, have declined.
“We monitor sales by geography on a daily basis, and we see a decrease in sales not due to a decrease in wholesale volume or an increase in canceled flights, but during this period,” Delta President Glen Hauenstein said in a statement. Sales are down. “Once this period is over, we can probably take stock of how much we think this cost us. But I don’t think it will have a significant impact on this quarter, hopefully not. “
However, Hauenstein said demand often rises after natural disasters due to reconstruction efforts.
“Our hearts go out to everyone in Los Angeles who is affected by this,” he said. “But from a long-term perspective for the airlines, we face hurricanes, we face floods, we face all of that. Typically, the impact is in the beginning, followed by recovery phase.”
