Powerful Nor’easter Threatens Columbus Day Weekend Travel: Full List of Airline Waivers

Despite a relatively mild 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, travelers are still going to face major weather-related flight issues

Travelers flying this weekend are going to have to deal with a powerful coastal storm, which Accuweather says could be categorized as a powerful nor’easter, is set to cause, is set to cause significant travel issues starting as early as Saturday night, bringing major hazards to the East Coast through early next week.

The system, which the National Weather Service (NWS) describes as a “coastal low strengthening this afternoon off the southeastern Atlantic coast,” is expected to rapidly intensify as it tracks northward. The storm already hit the Carolinas with heavy rain on Saturday and is poised to lash the coast of Virginia, New Jersey, and New York throughout Sunday and Monday.

The heaviest impacts in the New York region are anticipated Sunday, with wind gusts reaching up to 60 mph, and possibly up to 80 mph and widespread rainfall of 2 to 5 inches likely across the tri-state area. The storm won’t be categorized as a hurricane, but with winds that high, it would be a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale.

While the storm is expected to weaken and begin moving offshore by Tuesday, travel disruptions will continue through the Columbus Day holiday weekend, and could cause issues as far north as New England.

Airline Travel Waivers

Just as the travel industry is dealing with a growing number of delays and cancellations due to the ongoing government shutdown, the storm is increasingly likely to add to that number and cause some major travel issues of its own in the tri-state area and into New England.

American Airlines‘ waiver covers more airports than any other airline. American is allowing changes for flyers traveling through Baltimore(BWI), Boston Logan (BOS), Hampton (PHF), Hartford (BDL), Manchester (MHT), JFK International (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), Newark (EWR), Norfolk (ORF), Philadelphia (PHL), Portland (PWM), Providence (PVD), Richmond (RIC), Salisbury / Ocean City(SBY), Washington Reagan (DCA), and White Plains(HPN). The waiver covers flights from those airports through Oct. 13 and allows for changes to new flights through Oct. 15.

Delta Air Lines has a waiver for travel through Boston Logan (BOS), Newark (EWR), White Plains (HPN), JFK International (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), and Norfolk (ORF). The Delta waiver runs from Sunday through Monday and allows flyers to book a new flight through Oct. 16 without penalty and fare differences.

JetBlue has two waivers out. The first is for six airports: Charleston (CHS), Norfolk (ORF), Philadelphia (PHL), Raleigh/Durham (RDU), Washington (DCA), and Wilmington (ILM). This waiver covers all of flights from those airports on Saturday and Sunday, and allows flyers to change to a new flight through Oct. 19.

JetBlue’s other waiver covers a dozen airports for travel through Oct. 13: Boston (BOS), Hartford (BDL), Hyannis (HYA), Long Island/Islip (ISP), Martha’s Vineyard (MVY), Manchester (MHT), Nantucket (ACK), New York (JFK), New York (LGA), Newark (EWR), Portland (PWM), and Providence (PVD). This waiver allows for new flights through Oct. 21.

United Airlines has a waiver out for Boston Logan (BOS), Newark (EWR), JFK International (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), and Philadelphia International (PHL), also for Sunday and Monday. United’s waiver covers changes made for new flights through Oct. 15 and also waives any fare differences or change fees.

Cruise Ship Changes

So far, only one cruise line has been forced to make a change because of the storm. Royal Caribbean told guests sailing from Cape Liberty, NJ on Symphony of the Seas on Sunday that the ship will set sail on its 7-night Bahamas cruise two hours earlier than scheduled. All guests will have their arrival and onboard time moved up by two hours, and the last guests are expected to be checked in and onboard by 12:30 p.m. local time.