NOAA
Hurricane Lane.
- Hurricane Lane is a category three storm bearing down on Hawaii.
- Visitors and residents have headed to airports to evacuate.
- American, United, and Hawaiian Airlines have all indicated operations will be affected by the storm.
- Delta and United Airlines have both launched additional flights to Hawaii and have capped prices.
- Most major US airlines are offering
travel waivers that will allow you to alter your reservation for free.
Hurricane Lane was downgraded to a category three storm on Thursday. But with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, officials still believe the storm remains a highly dangerous threat to Hawaii.
Some parts of the state have reported damage from heavy rain, winds, landslides, and severe flooding.
With Lane bearing down on Hawaii's Big Island, many of the state's residents and visitors have flocked to its airports to evacuate.
As of early Friday, Hawaii's 15 airports remain operational, officials said in an emergency alert. However, flying into and out of the islands may prove to be challenging because of the inclement weather and high traffic loads.
"Please be advised that seats on flights for the next few days remain very limited because of high load factors," Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement. "While the path of Hurricane Lane remains uncertain, it will likely impact our flight schedule as it passes the Islands."
There were complaints on Wednesday of exorbitantly high tickets fares for flights out of the Islands. Both Delta and United told Business Insider that they have capped their prices for Hawaii flights.
According to United Airlines, poor weather conditions have forced it to cancel its Friday flights into and out of Kahului Airport. However, United did increase capacity with two additional Honolulu-San Fransico flights on Thursday. One of the flights used a Boeing 777-300ER, the largest plane in the airline's inventory usually reserved for international long-haul routes. The other flight operated a Boeing 757-300, the largest single-aisles aircraft in the fleet. Together, there were an additional 579 seats available.
Delta also ramped up its Hawaii operations on Thursday with an additional 199 seats via an extra Boeing 757-200. According to the airline, operations are expected to be normal on Friday.
American Airlines told Business Insider that it does not expect to cancel any flights due to the hurricane, however, some flights will be delayed a few hours due to restrictions that prevent aircraft from taking off and landing during severe cross-winds.
On Friday, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier expects to operate eight flights into and out of Honolulu, three for Kona, and three for Kauai.
If you have flights booked for travel to and from Hawaii, most major US airlines are currently offering travel waivers that will allow you to alter your reservation for free.
Click here for United's travel waiver information.
Click here for American's travel waiver information.
Click here for Delta's travel waiver information.
Click here for Alaska's travel waiver information.
Click here for Hawaiian's travel waiver information.