As we’ve written before, a major construction project has closed a runway at SFO through September 27. So far, it’s been a mess. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “By midafternoon Wednesday, more than 250 flights were delayed and 71 canceled. SkyWest had the most cancellations, followed by Southwest” and “United, which accounts for 45% of SFO’s traffic, had the most delays.”
So if you need to fly to or through the San Francisco area before September 27, what can you do? My colleague Chris McGinnis (my #TravelSkills chat co-host) wrote a post for SFGate meant to help you navigate the September SFO runway closure. For example, “United and Air Canada are offering only limited fee waivers,” he writes, “allowing passengers to rebook to a flight the day before or the day after the original flight.” Meanwhile, “on Tuesday Sept 10, Delta updated its policy regarding SFO flights. A spokesperson said Delta will work with travelers with SFO reservations to switch flights to OAK or SJC any time before Sept 27 with no fee and no fare difference. It also will work with passengers to postpone trips from today until Sept 27 without a fee or fare difference.”
Here are a few more of Chris’s notes and tips related to the September SFO runway closure:
- “Other airlines will likely work with you on a ‘case by case basis’ so it’s worth a call.”
- “While work on SFO runways is happening around the clock, the airport suggests booking early morning flights to avoid the worst delays.”
- “Book or switch your pre-September 27 flights to Oakland, San Jose, Concord, Santa Rosa or (depending on where you live) even Monterey or Sacramento.”
- “Consider a smaller airline like JSX (formerly JetSuiteX), with flights from Oakland and Concord to/from other airports/airline hubs in California. Try a low-fare carrier like Spirit Air or Allegiant out of Oakland to a hub like Las Vegas and go from there.”
- “Monitor your flight– did you know that you can simply enter your airline and flight number into Google for an update?”
Read the full post for all of Chris’s advice.
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