United Airlines is still listing a Colombia Earthquake Flexibility waiver that covers travel to or from Bogota (BOG) and Medellin (MDE) on original dates from August 10 through August 17, 2026.
If your United ticket touches either airport inside that window and was purchased on or before August 11, the practical move is to rebook now under the waiver rules rather than wait for the August 17 travel date to pass.
- Airports: Bogota (BOG) and Medellin (MDE) only on the United alert table.
- Original travel: August 10 through August 17, 2026.
- Ticket buy-by: Purchased on or before August 11, 2026.
- Relief: United waives change fees and fare differences on qualifying rebooks.
- Hard limit: New United flight must stay same cities and cabin, inside a tight rebook window.
What United’s travel alerts page actually says
On its current travel alerts page, United titles the row Colombia Earthquake Flexibility and lists original travel dates of August 10, 2026, through August 17, 2026, for Bogota and Medellin.
The same table says original tickets must have been purchased on or before August 11, 2026. That purchase cutoff is easy to miss if you only read the airport codes.
Under Flight options, United says customers can reschedule and the airline will waive change fees and fare differences. The replacement flight must be a United flight departing between 7 days prior and 0 days after the original travel date.
Tickets must remain in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked. That is not a free destination change to Cartagena, Cali, or a U.S. domestic substitute, and it is not permission to jump cabins without a new price check.
United’s broader marketing language elsewhere notes that most domestic change fees are already gone. This alert still matters for international Colombia itineraries where fare differences and ticket rules can otherwise block a same-week move.
Why the window is short, and what that means today
Today is August 13, 2026, Eastern Time. Original travel days remaining under the listed table run only through August 17. The rebook rule that ends zero days after the original date means a ticket dated August 15 cannot be pushed a full week later under this specific waiver language.
If your original flight is August 14, the latest United replacement departure under the written rule is still August 14. Earlier options can reach seven days before that original date. Late movers who need September dates will not find those dates inside this alert’s text.
That tight band is intentional operational flexibility, not a broad refund campaign. United’s alert language on this row does not promise a cash refund for no-shows. If you simply abandon the trip, separate refund or future flight credit rules apply.
Keep a screenshot of the alert table and your original ticket receipt before you call or click Manage trips. Waivers can change or drop from the page without a long archive trail.
How this sits next to other Colombia quake traveler notices
Deep Arrival already covered the broader airport shock in Colombia Earthquake Suspends Flights at Seven Airports and the separate Avianca Colombia Quake Flex Open Through August 16 card.
Those stories do not replace this United stream. Avianca’s published flex focuses on different Colombian cities and different date tools. United’s table is limited to BOG and MDE for U.S.-facing United tickets.
Independent forum tracking on FlyerTalk’s United MileagePlus board has also summarized the same United BOG and MDE August 10 to 17 window, which is useful corroboration that the alert is live and traveler-visible. Still treat United.com as the authority if the table and a forum post ever disagree.
Travelers holding Avianca, LATAM Colombia, Copa, or other carrier tickets need those carriers’ own notices. A United waiver never rewrites a non-United PNR.
Hotel and ground plans can move faster than airline inventory after a quake week. If your Bogota or Medellin lodging already shifted, lock the United rebook first so the new flight date matches the room, then cancel any unused ground pieces under their own free-cancel rules.
Corporate travel managers should also check whether a company policy requires written waiver proof. Paste the live United alerts URL into the expense note with the original ticket number so auditors do not treat the rebook as a voluntary leisure change.
If you are connecting over Houston, Newark, or Washington Dulles into BOG or MDE, confirm whether both the U.S. domestic and the Colombia long-haul segments sit on the same United ticket stock. A separate basic-economy domestic ticket may not inherit the international waiver language.
How to use the waiver without creating a worse problem
Start in United’s trip management tools or with an agent and restate the exact alert name: Colombia Earthquake Flexibility. Ask the agent to confirm that change fees and fare differences are waived under that code before they ticket a new segment.
Stay on United metal for the rebook. Codeshare or partner-operated segments may fall outside the “United flight” language even when the ticket stock looks familiar.
Keep origin and destination cities identical. If you need a different Colombian gateway because roads or lodging changed, that request sits outside the automatic waiver text and may price as a normal voluntary change.
Match cabin. Basic Economy and standard Economy are not always treated the same in operational systems, so read the branded fare on the e-ticket before you assume Comfort+ or Premium Plus can absorb the move without a new collection.
If you already rebooked after August 10 under a different exception, do not stack another free change without confirmation. One completed reissue can exhaust the exception path for that ticket.
For ordinary United product rules beyond this emergency row, our United Airlines guide remains the evergreen baseline on bags, boarding, and routine change language. Use it for the carrier system, then return to the live alerts page for any active waiver.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Hold United travel BOG or MDE Aug 10 to 17 bought by Aug 11 | Rebook now under the alert; keep same cities and cabin on United metal. |
| Need a date more than 0 days after the original flight | This waiver text will not cover it; price a normal change or alternate route. |
| Fly Avianca, LATAM, or another airline to Colombia | Use that carrier’s quake flex pages; United’s table does not apply. |
| Already missed the original flight without rebooking | Ask about refund or credit rules separately; the alert is not a no-show cash guarantee. |
| Only connect through BOG or MDE on a same United ticket | Confirm the ticket shows BOG or MDE as a segment city before claiming the waiver. |
- Act this week: Original travel under the table ends August 17, and the rebook window is not open-ended.
- Document first: Save the alert table, e-ticket, and chat transcript before any agent reissue.
- Do not overclaim: Same cities, same cabin, United-operated rebooks only under the published language.
- Watch the page: If the Colombia row disappears, stop using old screenshots as proof without a fresh agent confirmation.
The clean traveler action is narrow: if United still shows BOG or MDE travel inside the August 10 to 17 band on a ticket bought by August 11, move the flight now under the written United rules and keep every other Colombia carrier decision on its own paperwork.
Which United Colombia airports are covered?
United’s current alert table lists Bogota (BOG) and Medellin (MDE) only for this Colombia Earthquake Flexibility row.
Through which travel dates does the United waiver apply?
Original travel dates run August 10 through August 17, 2026, for tickets purchased on or before August 11, 2026.
Does United waive both change fees and fare differences?
Yes, under the published flight options text, for a United rebook that keeps the same cities and cabin inside the stated rebook window.
Can I move my Colombia trip a week later under this alert?
Only if the new United departure is between 7 days before and 0 days after your original travel date, so later weeks usually fail this rule.
Does this United waiver cover Avianca tickets?
No. Avianca and other carriers publish separate earthquake flex policies for their own tickets.
