Large wildfires burning on the islands of Maui and Hawaii, fueled by high winds, have turned into beautiful beach destinations. smoky, disaster scenes on Wednesday. The fast-moving fire has scorched hundreds of acres, destroyed homes and businesses, and prompted a series of evacuation orders, road closures, and power and cellphone outages. At least six people died.
The fires are most intense along Maui’s west coast, according to local news reportswhere Lahaina’s historic town center was severely damaged.
Declaring a state of emergency in all counties, the Hawaii state government has the travelers asked to leave West Maui as soon as possible and encourage travel to the affected areas.
Here’s what travelers need to know.
Where are the fires?
According to local news outlets Hawaii News Today, at least three wildfires are burning on Maui, including one in Lahaina, a major Maui tourist destination, and the upcountry section of the island. There are at least three fires on the Big Island, in North Kohala and South Kohala, which includes the Mauna Kea beach area, according to Big Island Now.
Can you fly to Maui and the Big Island?
Air travel is not important discouraged by Hawaiian authorities. Released by Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke two emergency proclamations certain actions are permitted, including activation of the National Guard.
All travelers should track their flight status online or using the airline’s app before departing for the airport.
As of early Wednesday morning local time, Kahului Airport on Maui remained open and was detaining approximately 1,800 travelers, the The Hawaii Department of Transportation said. On Wednesday, most flights were operating as scheduled, according to FlightAware, an aviation tracking site, but some carriers are reporting incoming cancellations and delays. Two airports on the Big Island, Hilo International Airport and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, also remain open.
United Airlines, according to Josh Freed, a company spokesman, has canceled all reservations on its inbound flights at Kahului Airport, “so that our planes can fly empty to Maui and be used as passenger flight back to the mainland.”
“Our teams are monitoring the situation closely and adjusting our schedule so that we can maintain serving our customers under difficult conditions,” he wrote in an email. United is offer refunds for passengers who want to cancel their flights.
American Airlines also canceled reservations on inbound flights at Kahului Airport, said Curtis Blessing, a company spokesman. The carrier rebooked passengers free of charge, simply some conditions was recognized.
Other major carriers are operating their scheduled flights but are offering different options to affected travelers who want to change their plans.
Hawaiian Airlines passengers can change their flight plans or get refunds, said Marissa Villegas, a company spokeswoman. The airline operates more than 80 flights daily in and out of Maui. It also offers a special $19 fare from Maui for urgent travel needs.
Southwest Airlines operates at least 90 daily flights to Hawaii, 60 of them within the state. People booked on Southwest travel from or to Maui on Wednesday or Thursday can be rebooked free of charge, but refunds are only available if your flight is canceled by the airline.
Travelers who booked on Alaska Airlines can change their flights but must travel by August 31. According to a company spokesperson, eight daily flights to Maui are operating, some with delays.
What’s the latest in travel to and between the islands?
The Hawaii Department of Transportation provides up-to-date information on road conditions, highway closures and airport status updates through social media. All non-essential travel to Maui is discouraged, said the department.
Hawaiian Airlines added six more flights Wednesday between Honolulu and Kahului.
Those flying between the islands should monitor their flight status on their carrier’s app or website and be aware that changes can come unexpectedly.
Several road closures have been announced for Maui and the Big Island, according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiserwhere Honoapiilani Highway on Maui’s west coast remains open to outbound traffic only.
Can I get a refund from my hotel or short-term rental?
On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, travelers wrote that major hotels near the Maui wildfires had closed and evacuated. Several popular resorts, including Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa at Ka’anapali Beach and the Maui Ocean Club by Marriottcurrently has no power.
The Hyatt Regency is closed to new arrivals and will not accept new guests until Aug. 11, the company said in a statement, adding that any booking deposits, including prepaid stays, for these dates will be re- refund.
Other major resorts in the area could not immediately be reached for comment.
Most major hotel chains have already implemented more flexible cancellation policies because of the pandemic, but Marriott, Hilton and others did not respond to requests for comment on their specific policies related to wildfire.
For travelers who book accommodations on Airbnb, the company has activated “policy on extenuating circumstances” for parts of Maui. Eligible guests with reservations will receive a full refund, and both hosts and guests can cancel bookings without penalty, the company said Wednesday.
According to Vrbo, wildfires and other natural disasters are not subject to standard cancellation policies. However, for bookings on Maui and parts of the Big Island between Aug. 9 and 16, the company said, “Vrbo has lowered host penalties for cancellations, which means cancellations and refunds can be made by hosts their guests without worrying about how it will affect their listing performance in future guest searches.”
Vrbo recommends that guests contact the hosts of their bookings for more information, as well as their travel insurance provider if they have purchased trip protection.
Can travel insurance help?
Most travel insurance policies have trip cancellation coverage for natural disasters, but it’s important to read the fine print of your policy to see if wildfires are covered under reasons for cancellation or trip delay
In most cases, travelers will have coverage if their destination is rendered uninhabitable or if they are forced to evacuate with at least 50 percent of their trip remaining, according to Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison site. If a hotel or holiday rental cancels your reservation prior to your arrival due to wildfire damage, most travel insurance plans provide coverage.
Policies with “cancel for any reason” coverage do not require travelers to state a reason for their cancellation, but some travel insurers apply benefit restrictions. For most policies that include coverage for wildfires, the policy must be purchased before the event occurs.
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