rylan

Its still getting worse for Houston with some major rivers not expected to crest for a couple more days.

Infrastructure damage Katrina was likely much worse due to having to rebuild the levee and pump systems, but this one is damaging a larger area with the coastal wind damage followed by mass flooding. They're setting up a mega shelter in the Dallas area for displaced people.

Orange County Commuter

There's always the ignore feature.... Then you aren't feeding the trolls who live to incite us


Or who have some other motive (AKA I want a free flight change and hope that the weather waiver will give it to me..!)

ty97

IAH is now closed until at least Noon Thursday. HOU still showing 8am Wednesday but I would not be surprised to see that extend.

Orange County Commuter

The local media is reporting 8 AM Thursday for HOU.

FlyerWx

Waiver extended through September 7th and now it includes more airports due to the eastward push of rain:

Alexandria, LA (AEX)
Austin, TX (AUS)
Baton Rouge, LA (BTR)
Houston, TX – Hobby (HOU)
Houston, TX – Intercontinental (IAH)
Lafayette, LA (LFT)
New Orleans, LA (MSY)
San Antonio, TX (SAT)
Shreveport, LA (SHV)

DTWflyer

WN got all of their aircraft out of HOU.

5 flew out Sunday afternoon HOU-DAL to airlift out stranded passengers and crews
The remaining 10 flew out Monday afternoon to various WN cities DAL, ATL, MCO, AUS.

DL ferried a 757 ATL-IAH-DTW on Monday afternoon, to bring in supplies and to ferry out stranded employees and crews.

A DL/OO CR9 ferried out of IAH-DTW on Monday as well.

mnbp

Happened to watch this for a few minutes - it was eerie to see a completely empty Skyway train pass by the camera.

minnyfly

I'll explain how the revenue loss happens. When a waiver is issued, some passengers will change their flight(s). That releases seats close-in for the affected flights that largely won't be recouped, and instead fills a seat for a flight in the near to sometimes far future. That reduces the revenue potential for that future flight as the seats are filled. Essentially the passenger uses the inventory of two seats, but the airline only receives the revenue from one. The effect is worst when a flight a couple days later loses out on the opportunity to book lucrative close-in customers because of customers changing to it for free. That's why unfortunately some airlines (in particular DL) are stingy with doing the right thing and issue complete and timely weather waivers.

pvn

But it releases a seat on the flight the customer is vacating, increasing potential revenue on that flight. And that customer might have bought a cheap ticket, now there's the potential to sell an expensive close-in ticket.

And if that customer did buy an expensive close in ticket, and moves to a far-future flight, that's a bonus for DL as well.

The flight this customer moves to is going to have empty seats from passengers who would have been on the return leg of an outbound they didn't take.

There probably is a revenue loss but it's a lot smaller than you're making it out to be because of a lot of counterfactors, most notably, all of this stuff you mention is going to occur anyway once flights start getting cancelled. And getting these people moved to other flights early makes IRROPS a LOT easier to sort out later when flights actually get cancelled.

Retired FF

I changed my plans of flying to Austin and instead decided to go to Vegas. Had booked the original ticket through AMEX Travel so called them to see if the fee will be waived but was told NO because at the time (on Sunday) the advisory dates were only for travel by Sept 4th and I was travelling on 6th.
So instead of changing, I went ahead and booked a separate flight to Vegas because my original ticket was only $218.00 and so IF I changed it, I would have to pay a $200.00 change fee so I was only saving $18.00.
Fast forward to today and the advisory is now applicable for flights to Sept 7th so NOW it does apply to my Sept 6th ticket to Austin. Since I have already purchased a new ticket, I do not want to change but rather CANCEL for a refund. Am I SOL or would I be able to get a refund?
In an email exchange with AMEX travel, they seem to imply that ONLY changes are allowed without a change fee!!
Any suggestions form the experts!! Thanks in advance....

ty97

Technically you can not cancel unless your original flight is canceled or significantly delayed. Unless that occurs, you can only change for free, not cancel.

That's the official rule. But it never hurts to ask (worst they can say is no)

readywhenyouare

So Delta managed to operate one flight into Houston today. DL 2274 ATL-IAH...on an MD-88. What in the hell are they thinking? If you can only operate one flight then why wouldn't you send the largest aircraft you could get your hands on? They could have at least sent a 767. There are thousands of displaced people and Delta has chosen to prolong their suffering by limiting seats.

PurdueFlyer

How positive are you that the MD-88 went out full?

Fly_Delta_Jets

It did indeed go out full...of TDY agents/mechanics/IT support ready to assist the IAH team. Along with supplies, water, and food for the DL agents and passengers that have been stuck at the airport since the storm hit.

"Delta has chosen to prolong their suffering" is a wee bit melodramatic, don't you think? The majority of the flight schedule will operate today, and DL (along with UA/WN) have sent several humanitarian flights in the past few days to bring in supplies and evacuate stranded passengers and employees.

kop84

Tone it down a bit would you? The standards you hold DL to rival the qualifications necessary for literal sainthood.

And I shutter to think of what your response would be if DL pulled a 767 off of a route and either downgauged or cancelled the flight to shift to IAH...I imagine it wouldn't have been positive and understanding.

I imagine the FAA and/or DL has different guidelines on what conditions a "ferry" flight can fly in vs. a passenger flight.