Airlines Issue Alerts For ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Storm

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
NOAA/NHC
This story was updated at 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday.
A little more than a week after Hurricane Helene cut a path of death and destruction across the Southeast, another dangerous storm is heading for the Sunshine State.
Hurricane Milton—now a category-3 storm currently traveling northeast at 17 m.p.h. across the Gulf of Mexico with sustained wind speeds of 120 m.p.h.—is making its way for Florida’s west coast and will make landfall late on Wednesday.
A category-3 hurricane has wind speeds of between 111 and 129 m.p.h.
“Milton is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale,” the 5 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center said. “Milton could still be a major hurricane when it reaches the coast of west-central Florida this evening, and it will remain a hurricane while it moves across central Florida through Thursday.”
The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled or significantly delayed due to reasons within the airline’s control. But that rule does not pertain to weather-related delays and cancellations.
Hurricane Milton: Flight Cancellations and Airport Closures
Some of Florida’s airports announced temporary closures due to the storm and several others are monitoring the situation. Tampa International Airport (TPA) has been closed since 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport announced that is has cancelled all flights on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Orlando International Airport is closing on Wednesday at 8 a.m. ET.
Miami International Airport said it is monitoring Hurricane Milton and recommending that travelers confirm their flight status with their airline. Likewise, Palm Beach International Airport said it is currently open and operational and that “airport officials are monitoring the forecast for Milton.”
Hurricane Milton is expected to slam into Florida as a category-2 or -3 storm later this week.
NOAA/NHC
Hurricane Milton: Airline Travel Advisories
In advance of the storm making landfall, major U.S. airlines are issuing travel waivers allowing passengers flying in or out of impacted airports to rebook without paying the fare difference. For consumers looking to change travel plans or recoup travel expenses, much will depend upon the airline, itinerary and, in some cases, whether a travel insurance policy was purchased.
American Airlines has issued a travel alert covering 12 airports in Florida for flights booked before Saturday, October 5. Travelers can rebook without incurring a change or cancellation fee for new flights through Thursday, October 17.
Delta Air Lines has issued an advisory that covers nine airports in Florida. Passengers who are ticketed for travel in or out of affected airports Monday, October 7, through Thursday, October 10, may rebook without a change or cancellation fee for travel by Saturday, October 15.
Frontier Airlines has a travel advisory for passengers flying in or out of seven airports between Monday and Friday, October 7-10.
JetBlue Airways has a travel alert covering eight airports in Florida for flights booked before Saturday, October 5. Travelers scheduled to fly in or out of any of the impacted airports between Monday, October 7, and Thursday, October 10, can rebook without incurring a change or cancellation fee for new flights through Thursday, October 17.
United Airlines has issued a travel alert impacting nine Florida airports. Passengers who bought a plane ticket before Friday, October 4, for a flight traveling Monday through Saturday, October 7-12, to, from or through any of the listed airports may rebook without a change fee for travel through Saturday, October 19.
Southwest Airlines has issued a travel advisory covering eight airports in Florida and one in Mexico for flights scheduled to depart between October 7 and 10. Passengers traveling through impacted airports have two weeks to rebook their flights at no charge.
Spirit Airlines has a travel advisory covering flights in or out of six Florida airports between Monday and Thursday, October 7-10. They can be rebooked for travel by Thursday, October 17.
Hurricane Milton: How To Avoid Flight Disruptions This Week
Flying this week? There’s a lot you can do to minimize the chance of getting mired down by a delayed or canceled flight.
Most flight disruptions are caused by weather issues. Up to three days ahead of your flight, you can get a heads-up on potential trouble by referring to NOAA’s National Forecast Map. Hover over Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 to see what to expect for weather today, tomorrow and the next day. It shows you at a glance where there is going to be rain, thunderstorms, and other kinds of severe weather on your travel day.
Arming yourself with this information allows you to switch dates or routes to tee up a better scenario. Perhaps you can travel a day earlier or later, or change a connecting flight to avoid trouble spots.
Even if you’re not traveling through Florida this week, your flight may be impacted. Weather events in one part of the country can cause disruptions throughout the country because airlines reuse planes for multiple flights each day. Planes that get delayed on previous routes often don’t make it to their late-day departure airport on time. For example, a plane stuck in Orlando at 1 p.m. may not make it to Chicago for its 4:15 p.m. departure. There’s a domino effect, where one delay leads to another.
Whenever possible, book the earliest flight of the day to minimize the chance of disruption. Afternoon and evening flights are more likely to be delayed than early-morning flights.
On the day of your flight, monitor your airline’s app for flight notifications. On the flight-tracking app FlightAware, enter your flight information, and click on your specific flight. Then click the “Where is my plane now?” link just under the flight number. You’ll be able to see if the plane is ahead of schedule, on time or behind schedule and you can act accordingly — often even before the airline announces a delay or cancellation.
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