With Hurricane Helene disrupting travel, here’s what fliers need to know

cnbc.com:

As the Southeast U.S. recovers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's destruction, consumers looking to change their air travel plans to or from affected areas without taking a financial hit may be out of luck, experts said.

«The big-picture issue that happens in U.S. air travel: When there is a significant disruption, air passengers have very, very limited rights» when it comes to compensation, said Eric Napoli, chief legal officer at AirHelp, an online service that assists airline passengers.

Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday in Florida as a Category 4 storm, leaving a swath of wind- and flood-related damage across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

The storm killed more than 120 people, knocked out power for millions of people and left many stranded without basic necessities like running water.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation urged people to avoid unnecessary travel in the western part of the state due to hundreds of road closures from downed trees, landslides and «catastrophic damage.»

Amid that destruction, travelers hoping to change flights for free or cancel their plans for a refund may find airlines unwilling to grant that financially flexibility.

Airlines do generally owe «prompt» refunds to passengers if they cancel or make a «significant change» to a flight, regardless of the reason, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That's true even for consumers with non-refundable tickets.

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However, weather-related events like Hurricane Helene are generally considered to