American, JetBlue, Air Canada and United Offer Waivers for United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany as Jamaica Reopens After Hurricane Melissa

American, JetBlue, Air Canada and United Offer Waivers for United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany as Jamaica Reopens After Hurricane Melissa — major carriers have posted flexible rebooking options and relief flights while Jamaica begins a staged reopening of key airports. Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica as an exceptionally powerful storm in late October 2025, forcing airport closures and widespread damage. Sangster International (MBJ) issued official temporary-closure advisories during the storm and is operating with limited capacity as repairs continue. Air Canada, American and other airlines have published explicit rebooking policies and flown relief rotations to assist stranded passengers and move supplies. Jamaica’s tourism ministry and industry partners are coordinating a recovery push aimed at restoring broad tourism operations by mid-December, and travelers should confirm flight and hotel status, use published waiver rules, and register with their consulate if they are in-country.

American, JetBlue, Air Canada and United Offer Waivers for the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany as Jamaica Reopens After Hurricane Melissa

Sangster (MBJ), Norman Manley (KIN), Ian Fleming (OCJ), Tinson Pen (KTP): Jamaica’s travel industry is doing all that it can to repatriate travelers and restore services after Hurricane Melissa. The purpose of this article is to describe the actions that have been made, and the response from airlines and hotels to the inquiries that travelers now have. The information below is from recent, primary and credible sources. (AP News)

Sangster International (MBJ), Norman Manley (KIN), Ian Fleming (OCJ) & Tinson Pen (KTP): What airport is open and what that means for flights.

Jamaica’s airports have partially reopened in earnest… Sangster International in Montego Bay (MBJ) closed before the storm and sustained damage after. Advisories were sent, and MBJ issued temporary closures during the event. Norman Manley (KIN) in Kingston and Ian Fleming (OCJ) were reopened for relief and limited commecerial flights while safety assessed damage. For now, expect limited capacity (including the gates used) while ongoing repairs are being made.

Sangster (MBJ), Norman Manley (KIN), Ian Fleming (OCJ), Tinson Pen (KTP): Waivers for United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany as Jamaica Reopens After Hurricane Melissa for airlines American, JetBlue, Air Canada, United

Major carriers have posted travel alerts and flexible rebooking policies.

The Air Canada “Goodwill“ rebooking policy was clear for MBJ and KIN, stating which tickets can be rebooked, dates, and the windows. American Airlines relief flights, travel-alert updates, and waivers on the JetBlue and United schedule changes referenced in news for travel-alert pages also showed travel flexibility. To avoid surprises, be sure to check the airline’s policy.

Why This Matters: Risk to Hospitality and Tourism – Jobs Are at Stake, But Recovery Is Possible

The Jamaican Government forecasted 4.3 million arrivals and US$4.6 billion in tourism receipts for 2025. Given the scale, even a minor drop in arrivals, nights spent, or services utilized in hospitality will result in significant revenue loss and job cuts in the hotels, restaurants, and ancillary services. In the range resorts, hotels will likely incur welfare and repair costs and the need to work after a storm to house and shelter guests will only add to the burden. Coordinated efforts to minimize long-lasting impacts on tourism infrastructure and services are taking place to ensure resorts and attractions are available for the holiday season. ([jis.gov.jm][4])

Airline: Operational, Immediate, and Traveler Optial

The airline industry will target three major costs: revenue lost due to cancellations, the customer service costs of rebooking, and the operational costs of relief and repatriation flights.

Airports with diminished gates or runways will require managing the aircraft and crew redeployments. Fortunately, most significant fees carriers limit and offer flexible rebooking for affected dates and routes for travelers. If you have a ticket to MBJ, KIN, or OCJ, keep confirmation and waiver codes. These will let you rebook wiTHOUT change fees and avoid a refund you don’t need. For official policy and the exact dates, check the travel-alert page for your carrier. ([Air Canada][5])

Hospitality: what hotels and local services are doing, and what travelers should expect

While most resorts are resilient to the impact of severe weather, coastal hotels and smaller guesthouses can lose roofs, flood, and lose power. Where hotels remain open, they may operate with even greater reduced services, such as fewer menu items for meals and major activities, while repairs are made. If you are scheduled to arrive soon, you should call your hotel and ask if your reservation is still confirmed, and if transfers or activities are running, and how the property supports guests who are sheltering in place. Expect hotels to prioritize guest safety.

Local providers like taxis, tour guides, and restaurants in some parishes will experience shortages in the short term. Local providers like taxi drivers, tour guides, and restaurant operators will have shortages in some parishes in the short term. [1]
Practical and popular flight routes from the US to Jamaica. (detailed routes, example fare, and how to confirm the flight’s status)
A few direct routes from the US to Jamaica are Miami (MIA) to Montego Bay (MBJ) and New York (JFK) to Montego Bay (MBJ). American Airlines frequently flies from MIA to MBJ and has been providing temporary flights to help. JetBlue offers many flights from JFK to both MBJ and KIN, and Air Canada flies from Toronto (YYZ) to MBJ. United Airlines connects their eastern US flights to Jamaica. If you have a connecting flight, be sure to check your entire itinerary, as some airlines may change routes to Kingston or other gateways. [6 American Airlines]
To confirm your flight and check for possible cancellations, you can use the airline’s travel alert page (American, JetBlue, Air Canada, United), the official airport page (MBJ airports page), and FlightAware/FlightStats. If you are outside the US, you can register with your embassy. For claims, take a screenshot of the airline waiver page and keep it along with reference numbers. [2 mbjairport.com]
List of actions that tourists should take now.

1. Before heading to the airport, confirm your flight. Live updates are available from the airlines and airports. [7 JetBlue]
2. Use the compensation offered by the airline. If an airline offers a rebooking policy, use it.

For updates on rebooking options, do not purchase another ticket.

3. Make sure to get in touch with your hotel, too. Get any changes in writing and make sure to keep the receipts for any claim.
4. Register with your embassy or consulate, as necessary. Many governments offer assistance pages and emergency hotlines for assistance.
5. Pack for potential challenges. Bring chargers and power banks, photocopies of your travel documents, cash (ATMs might not be available), bottled water, and some basic medicines

Airlines and the tourism ministry are working together on repatriation flights. Relief flights are set to carry emergency supplies and logistical teams. Airlines are prioritizing customers who are in-country and permitting flexible rebooking. For hotel guests, repatriation flights are also expected, especially in the case of emergency situations where large numbers of guests need to travel. Repatriation flights ease airline congestion and help busy airports recover quickly. Although these flights are costly, airlines know the benefits. ([American Airlines Newsroom][10])

Real World Scenarios – A traveler arriving from the U.S, Canada, U.k, or Germany. For U.S. travelers, The U.S is Jamaica’s largest source market. If you booked MIA–MBJ or JFK–MBJ, an airline alert, and the airport page will have other updates.

When your flight is canceled, most airlines provide an option to rebook for free on the next available flight or simply provide you with a travel credit. For updates, you can register with the U.S. Embassy in Kingston. ([jtbonline.org][11])

• For Canadian travelers, Air Canada has a published goodwill policy, which covers certain issue dates and travel windows for MBJ and KIN tickets. For rebooking, contact Air Canada or your booking agent. If you are trying to travel earlier, you may have to rely on charter or relief flight rotations. ([Air Canada][3])
• For U.K. and German travelers, U.K. tour operators have suspended certain package services and have coordinated repatriation where necessary. If you booked a package through TUI, Virgin, or a UK operator, you will need to reach out to your agent; for large groups repatriation is usually led by insurers and tour operators. Germany is a smaller but present market; German nationals should consult their embassy and airline. ([JetBlue][12])

Practical travel tips for a safer return or onward trip:

• Maintain both a digital and a physical record of your trip itineraries and hotel confirmation. • If you are planning to file an insurance claim, take a picture of any damaged property. • Keep any extra expense (hotel, meals, transport) which would be required by insurance companies.
• In Jamaica, if you find yourself in an emergency, make a contact to the nearest shelter or to a hotel employee to help you get in touch with emergency services. • Check if your travel insurance covers natural disasters, but also check the fine print to see if a force majeure clause may exclude them from your claim. ([AP News][1])

What the hospitality industry is doing to reassure future guests.

Repairs and communication are the primary focus for most large Jamaican resorts. Most hotel operators are more likely to offer clearly outlined cancellation and rebooking policies alongside tracked repair progress and localized offerings to clients, or in this case, to guests in Jamaica. Rebooking and cancellation policies for this holiday season are expected to be more clearly communicated, as Jamaica is aiming to reactive tourism by the middle of December. To deal with the demand, the ministry and industry groups are expected to release plans to deal with the repairs, marketing of the recovered services, and the logistics. ([jis.gov.jm][4])

The Longer View. Recover Pulled Jamaica’s economy. Smart repairs plans with aggressive marketing for the aftermath of Melissa would paint a much more feasible picture. Deferring travel would likely net a better deal for them.

Sources You Can Contact Immediately for Official Info

See our website for updates on the status of the airport and for official documents.

For information on operational notes and relief flights, visit the American Airlines newsroom and travel-alert pages.

For the latest updates on flight schedules from JFK to MBJ, visit the JetBlue travel-alert page.

For tourism forecasts, stopover data, and official recovery statements, visit the Jamaica Information Service / Jamaica Tourist Board.

American, JetBlue, Air Canada and United Offer Waivers for United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany as Jamaica Reopens After Hurricane Melissa — major carriers have posted flexible rebooking options and relief flights as Jamaica begins staged reopenings of Sangster (MBJ), Norman Manley (KIN), Ian Fleming (OCJ) and Tinson Pen (KTP) following the late-October 2025 landfall of Hurricane Melissa.
Travelers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany should check airline travel-alert pages, confirm hotel status, register with their consulate if in-country, and keep waiver confirmations and receipts before rebooking or heading to the airport.

Here’s what travelers need to know

Airlines have rebooking waivers. Hotels and local providers are working to restore safe services. If you have upcoming travel, confirm everything twice: with your airline, your hotel, and your government travel advisories. You should pack for the weather and obstacles. If you follow that simple checklist, you can protect your trip, your money and — most importantly — your safety.

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