Wildfires continue to tear through California, forcing evacuations of entire cities and the resulting in the death of at least 23 people. At least 3,500 buildings and homes have been destroyed. Residents and visitors alike have had to flee the flames at all hours of the night. The devastation is heartbreaking to see.Firefighters on the ground are getting air support from 30 air tankers and 73 helicopters, including the the largest supertanker in the world. Across three days, the massive 747-400 has run 13 missions over the fires.Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesIn addition to the tragic impacts on the ground, the wildfires are affecting flights in and out of the Bay Area. At San Francisco airport (SFO) alone, smoke delayed 574 flights Wednesday — accounting for 48% of arrivals and 31% of departures — as well as 114 cancellations.On Thursday, delays are starting to pile up. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is only allowing 30 flight arrivals per hour starting at 8am Pacific Time and continuing at least through 7pm Pacific. This is forecast to cause average delays of 192 minutes (3:12 hours).Airlines have released travel waivers to help travelers avoid these delays. As of publishing, here are the waivers that are active for California:AlaskaTravel dates: October 9-13Airports affected: Santa Rosa (STS); Sacramento (SMF); San Francisco (SFO); San Jose (SJC); Oakland (OAK)Must have bought your ticket by October 9Rebook travel anytime through October 17You may request a refund if you choose not to travel at all.Tickets must be exchanged or refunded on or before October 17.American AirlinesTravel dates: October 9-12Airports affected: Santa Rosa, Sonoma County (STS)Must have bought your ticket by October 9Rebook travel anytime between October 9-15You can’t change your origin or destination city. Must rebook in same cabin or pay the difference.Travel dates: October 11-15Airports affected: San Francisco, California (SFO)Must have bought your ticket by October 12Rebook travel anytime between October 12-20You can’t change your origin or destination city. Must rebook in same cabin or pay the difference.UnitedTravel dates: October 11-15Rebook travel through October 20Airports affected: Arcata/Eureka, CA (ACV); San Francisco, CA (SFO); Santa Rosa, CA (STS)The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new United flights departing on or before October 20, as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed.Travel dates: October 9-12Rebook travel through October 15Airports affected: Santa Rosa, Sonoma County (STS)The change fee and any difference in fare will be waived for new United flights departing on or before October 15, as long as travel is rescheduled in the originally ticketed cabin (any fare class) and between the same cities as originally ticketed.Virgin AmericaTravel dates: October 9-15Must have bought your ticket by October 9Airports affected: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)“For guests with travel plans through SFO, Virgin America is allowing reservations to be changed or canceled with no penalty for up to 7 days"No waivers at this time from: Delta, FrontierSign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.
