Nor'easter Hits Boston: 4 Airline Waivers Compared
Hurricane Nolo Hits Hawaii: Airline Waivers Compared
Hurricane Nolo formed as a tropical storm on Wednesday, September 23, strengthened into a hurricane Thursday night, and is now forecast to hit major hurricane strength — Category 3 or higher — by the time it makes its closest pass to Hawaii Island this weekend. Hawaii County is under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning simultaneously. Maui County is under a tropical storm watch. And five major US carriers already have flight waivers live, each with its own list of covered airports and its own deadline, which is exactly the kind of fine print that gets missed when a storm is still forecast rather than landed.
We’ve been here before, recently. Lala threatened the Big Island’s first hurricane landfall on record barely six weeks ago, grazed the coast instead of hitting it, and still flooded Naʻalehu and knocked out power to 114,000 homes. Nolo is Hawaii’s third hurricane watch of 2026 — the most ever issued for the state in a single year, according to hurricane analyst Michael Lowry. If you’ve got a ticket touching Hawaii this weekend, here’s what’s actually live right now, not what a Wednesday forecast said.
Quick Verdict
Factor Detail Storm status Hurricane, forecast to reach Category 3+ by the weekend Closest approach Near or south of Hawaii Island, late Friday into Saturday Hawaii Island Hurricane watch + tropical storm warning Maui County Tropical storm watch; conditions possible late Friday, hurricane conditions possible early Saturday Rainfall forecast 15–30 inches on eastern/southern Hawaii Island, isolated totals to 35 Hawaii Volcanoes NP Fully closed by 5pm Thursday, Sept 24 State parks/forests Closing statewide, Hawaii Island first, Maui and Molokai following Airlines with waivers Alaska/Hawaiian, Southwest, American, Delta, United — all different city lists
Where Nolo Actually Stands
Nolo isn’t taking the shortest path to Hawaii. As of Thursday night it was still several hundred miles south of the islands, crawling north-northeast at barely walking pace, which is part of why the forecast keeps sliding toward a stronger storm — slow-moving systems over warm water have more time to build. The National Weather Service’s forecast has Nolo topping 115 mph winds by Saturday evening, with some models showing it peaking near 140 mph — Category 4 territory — by Sunday night as it moves past the island chain.
The current track keeps the center offshore rather than making a direct hit, similar to Lala’s path in August. Don’t read “offshore” as “safe.” Lala never technically made landfall either, and it still tore homes off their foundations in Kaʻū. The rain is the real threat here: forecasters are calling for 15 to 30 inches across the eastern and southern Big Island, with isolated pockets up to 35 inches — numbers that turn hillsides into mudslides regardless of whether the eye ever crosses the coast.
Hawaii Island carries the heaviest warning load: a hurricane watch layered on top of a tropical storm warning, meaning hurricane conditions are possible and tropical storm conditions are expected. Maui County sits one notch behind under a tropical storm watch, with tropical storm conditions possible by late Friday and a chance of hurricane conditions moving in early Saturday if Nolo’s track shifts even slightly north.
The Five Airline Waivers, Compared
This is the part that actually changes what you do today. Every major carrier flying to Hawaii has a waiver active, and none of them match. Some cover Hilo and skip Honolulu. Some cover Honolulu and skip Hilo. The rebooking deadlines range from four days to a full week past the storm. Read your specific airline’s row — don’t assume yours works like a different carrier’s just because they’re all responding to the same storm.
| Airline | Airports covered | Travel dates | Book-by / rebook-by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska/Hawaiian | Hilo (ITO) | Sept 24–27 | Ticket bought by Sept 23; rebook by Sept 30 |
| Southwest | Hilo (ITO), Kona (KOA) | Sept 25–27 | Rebook or standby within 14 days |
| American | Honolulu (HNL), Kahului (OGG), Kona (KOA), Lihue (LIH) | Sept 24–28 | Ticket bought by Sept 23; change by Sept 28; new travel through Oct 2 |
| Delta | Kona (KOA), Kahului (OGG), Honolulu (HNL) | Sept 26–27 | Rebook by Sept 30, no fare difference |
| United | Flexible rebooking, all Hawaii routes | Sept 23–28 | New flight by Oct 2, same cabin and cities |
Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines
Since the merger folded both carriers into one operation, their waivers run together under one advisory, and this one’s narrow: it only names Hilo (ITO). If your ticket was purchased on or before September 23 for travel between the 24th and 27th, you can change it fee-free into the same cabin, and you’ve got until September 30 to actually fly the new itinerary. Miss that Hilo-only scope and you’re outside this particular waiver, even flying the same week to a different Hawaii airport.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest’s version covers two airports — Hilo and Kona — for travel September 25 through 27. The mechanism is slightly different from the others: you can rebook or fly standby within 14 days of your original date, between the same cities, without an airfare change. That 14-day standby option is more flexible than most of the other waivers here, worth knowing if your plans are still moving.
American Airlines
American’s waiver has the widest airport list of the five: Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, and Lihue. Tickets had to be purchased by September 23 for travel between the 24th and 28th, and the change itself needs to be made by September 28 — but the rebooked travel can happen anytime through October 2, the longest runway of any carrier here for actually using the new ticket.
Delta Air Lines
Delta’s advisory is the tightest on travel dates — just September 26 and 27 — across Kona, Kahului, and Honolulu. Change into the same cabin with no fare difference charged, and fly the new itinerary by September 30. If your Delta flight falls outside that two-day window, this waiver doesn’t apply to you regardless of how nervous the forecast makes you.
United Airlines
United’s advisory is the most broadly worded: flexible rebooking for travel between September 23 and 28, with the replacement flight required to depart by October 2 in the same cabin between the same cities. United hasn’t published a specific airport list the way the other four have, which cuts both ways — it likely means broader eligibility, but also means you should confirm your specific route qualifies directly rather than assuming.
How Do I Check If My Flight Qualifies for a Waiver?
- Find your airline’s specific advisory page, not a news article about it — waiver terms get updated as the forecast changes, and a page cached this morning may already be stale by tonight.
- Check your ticket purchase date against the airline’s cutoff. Alaska/Hawaiian and American both require the ticket bought by September 23; buy today and you may not qualify even if your travel dates match.
- Match your airport to the covered list exactly. Flying into Lihue on American counts. Flying into Lihue on Alaska/Hawaiian, which only names Hilo, does not.
- Confirm your travel dates fall inside the covered window, not just “sometime this weekend” — Delta’s window is two days, American’s is five.
- Make the change before your original flight departs. Every one of these waivers requires action before scheduled departure, not a claim filed after the fact.
What’s Closing on the Ground
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closed most of its grounds by 5pm Thursday, including the Nāmakanipaio tent camping area and all backcountry trails; the Kahuku Unit shut at its normal 4pm time the same day. Volcano House and the Kīlauea Military Camp lodging are staying open for registered guests only, and those guests are being told to shelter in place rather than go looking for lava views.
The state went further than one park. Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources closed all state parks, camping areas, forest reserves, hiking trails, and game management areas on Hawaii Island starting Thursday, with the same closures extending to Maui and Molokai on Friday. New camping permits are suspended statewide until further notice. If your Hawaii itinerary includes a hike or a campsite this weekend, assume it’s closed and check the DLNR site directly before you drive out to find a locked gate.
Are You Owed Anything Beyond the Waiver?
A waiver is the airline being proactive, not a legal obligation — it’s worth knowing the difference. If your flight is actually canceled outright rather than just eligible for a fee-free change, you’re entitled to a refund or rerouting regardless of what the waiver’s fine print says. That’s standard DOT rule, not a courtesy tied to a press release.
One more wrinkle: the DOT’s new rule reclassifying certain delays as outside airline control doesn’t take effect until October 19, so it has no bearing on how Nolo cancellations get coded right now. A hurricane counts as weather either way, and weather-caused cancellations already don’t trigger cash compensation under existing rules — the October 19 rule changes what counts as “controllable,” not whether storms qualify as an excuse.
If you end up covering a hotel or meals out of pocket while your flight sorts itself out, credit card trip delay coverage from cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture X pays out for delays past six hours regardless of cause — a more reliable backstop than waiting on an airline goodwill gesture, and one that doesn’t care whether your specific flight technically qualified for the manufacturer’s waiver.
What to Do Right Now
If your flight falls inside any of the five waiver windows above: rebook today. Waiver slots fill with same-day changes right as the storm peaks Friday into Saturday, and the smoothest replacement flights — the ones a day or two removed from landfall — go first.
If your flight doesn’t match your airline’s covered dates or airports: don’t assume you’re stuck paying a change fee out of stubbornness on the airline’s part. Check anyway; these lists have been known to expand as a forecast worsens, the way Hawaiian’s Lala waiver got extended by a day once the cleanup ran long.
If you’re headed to the Big Island for hiking, camping, or Volcanoes National Park: those plans are off regardless of what your flight does. Rebuild the itinerary around what’s actually open, not what was open last week.
If you’re deciding whether to fly to Hawaii at all this weekend: with a hurricane watch active on Hawaii Island and the storm still capable of shifting north toward Maui, this isn’t a marginal call for anyone routing through KOA or ITO specifically. Delay if your schedule allows it.
The Bottom Line
Nolo is forecast to pass near Hawaii Island as a major hurricane sometime between Friday night and Saturday, with Hawaii County under both a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning and Maui County one step behind under a tropical storm watch. Five airlines have waivers live, and none of them line up — check your specific carrier’s airport list and deadline rather than assuming this works like the last storm’s waiver did. Parks and forest land on the Big Island are already closed, with Maui and Molokai following. If your ticket qualifies, make the change today; Friday and Saturday are when these systems get slow and seats get scarce.
Information current as of September 25, 2026, based on National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center advisories and airline advisory pages linked above. Storm track, intensity, and waiver terms are changing quickly — verify your specific flight and eligibility directly with your airline before traveling.
