United Airlines has provided a travel waiver for customers affected by the ongoing wildfires in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. The waiver applies to travelers booked on UA flights departing from Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) between January 7th and 9th.
United Airlines gives a travel waiver in light of the wildfires in Los Angeles.
The carrier’s waiver allows afflicted travelers to reschedule their itinerary until January 15th. This will be available to travelers departing from United’s LAX hub, from which it serves 40 nonstop destinations, and Burbank, which UA connects to Denver and San Francisco.
The waiver allows clients to amend their itinerary without paying a change charge or a fare difference, as long as they book the same origin and destination and cabin class;
ARC/BSP travel agencies can also book these modifications on their behalf. Importantly, this waiver does not allow travelers to rebook from a different point of departure.
Some planes entering Burbank were diverted to LAX due to smoke from the fires.Newsweek reported on two flights, a United Airlines flight from Denver and an American Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth, landing in LAX at night while passengers videotaped the flames below.
Other planes have also been impacted, including a Southwest flight that was diverted to Las Vegas, and pilots have reported increased turbulence as a result of the high winds.
Passengers reported smelling smoke in the cabin as the plane descended, causing pilots to divert and land at LAX. Tai Wright, a passenger, told Newsweek:
“When the images were taken, we were descending. The heat inside the airplane began to rise immediately after they were removed, and a smoke odor permeated the cabin.
Several aircraft have been waterbombing the fires, with Flightradar24 indicating over a dozen active planes at one time.
Fire moves closer to LA.
The Palisades fire is currently burning through over 3,000 acres of land, and approximately 50,000 people have been advised to leave the region. Many news outlets have warned that the fire could move to other regions tonight, including Santa Monica and other parts of West Los Angeles.
Los Angeles International Airport is located just a few miles south of Santa Monica; if the fire spreads farther into LA, operations at LAX are likely to be substantially hampered.
Emergency services are currently combating three major flames in the Pacific Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst; the latter two are smaller than the Palisades, but are fueled by winds of up to 100 mph.
The Pacific Palisades, which has roughly 24,000 residents, is one of Los Angeles’ most affluent neighborhoods, and it is home to several well-known celebrities. Approximately 300,000 people in Los Angeles County have also been left without power.
In addition to hundreds of volunteer firefighters traveling down to LA to assist, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state has deployed over 1,400 firefighters to battle the “unprecedented fires” in the area, adding
“Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives.”
According to some accounts, water levels are low, hindering firefighting efforts. High winds have regrettably rendered the fire largely uncontrollable, with the Los Angeles County Fire Department reporting that the Palisades fire is “2921 acres 0% containment.”.