1 year ago
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THAT IS FOR SURE. THAT’S RIGHT, DEBORAH. THE TAMPA AND SARASOTA AIRPORTS ARE JUST TWO OF THE AIRPORTS THAT ARE ALREADY CLOSED AHEAD OF THE STORM. SO, OF COURSE, ANY FLIGHTS GOING IN OR OUT OF THERE FROM BWI ARE ALREADY CANCELED. NOW, THERE’S NO WORD ON WHEN THE TAMPA AIRPORT WILL REOPEN, IAN, AND WHEN IT WOULD BE SAFE TO TRAVEL THERE AGAIN. TRAVEL IS BACK. THERE’S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. BUT HURRICANE IDALIA COULD PUT A BIG SNAG IN TRAVEL PLANS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY INCLUDE THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA. THE AIRLINES AND THE CRUISES ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY MONITOR THE WEATHER TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY’S PUT IN ANY HARM’S WAY. DILWORTH DALY, A TRAVEL ADVISOR WITH DAILY’S DESTINATIONS, SAYS IF THE CRUISE LINE ITSELF CANCELS THE VOYAGE YOU’VE ALREADY PAID FOR, YOU’LL GET YOUR MONEY BACK. BUT THAT DEPENDS ON WHEN AND WHERE THE CRUISE IS SCHEDULED TO SAIL FOR YOUR FLIGHT TO GET THERE. EVERY AIRLINE HAS THEIR OWN POLICIES FOR CANCELLATIONS. IF IT’S AN ACT OF NATURE OR AN ACT OF MOTHER NATURE, AS THEY SAY, AS GOD, IT JUST REALLY DEPENDS ON THE AIRLINE. THEY MAY GIVE A CREDIT. THEY MAY SAY YOU HAVE A TIME THAT YOU CAN MAKE CHANGES, BUT THERE’S SOMEWHAT OF A FLEXIBILITY WITH THAT. BUT IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE AIRLINE. DALY SAYS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT THE MONEY YOU INVEST IN A TRIP IS WHEN YOU’RE BOOKING YOUR TRIP TO GET TRIP INSURANCE. THAT ALLOWS YOU TO CANCEL FOR ANY REASON, EVEN AFTER THE HURRICANE HITS. WITH HIGH WINDS AND POTENTIAL FLOODING, A HOTEL MIGHT BE CLOSED. OBVIOUSLY, IF A TOWN IS SHUT DOWN OR A DESTINATION IS SHUT DOWN, IT CAN CERTAINLY AFFECT TRAVEL, NOT JUST FOR THAT TIME FRAME, BUT FOR A LONGER TIME FRAME. IT’S BEST TO CHECK WITH YOUR OWN CRUISE LINE OR AIRLINE FOR THEIR OWN POLICIES. ON WHETHER RELATED TRAVEL INCIDENTS.
Hurricane Idalia disrupts air travel as hundreds of flights are canceled
Flights across Florida continue to be disrupted Wednesday as Hurricane Idalia churns through the state.Several airports are currently closed, including Tampa, St. Pete-Clearwater and Tallahassee, according to the Federal Aviation Authority. Tampa's airport is reopening to inbound flights at 4 p.m. ET and full reopen on Thursday. The airport posted on X, formerly Twitter, that it "sustained minimal damage" from the storm. St. Pete-Clearwater also plans to reopen this afternoon and Sarasota's airport reopened Wednesday morning.Flight tracking website FlightAware shows that Southwest Airlines' schedule is the most affected, with 220 cancellations and 300 delays. United, Delta and American Airlines are also impacted, with about 700 delays combined and roughly 330 cancellations. Although about one in every six flights nationwide touches a Florida airport, airlines appeared to have successfully isolated the impacts and prevented a domino meltdown so far. The major carriers each canceled fewer than 5% of their flights as of Wednesday morning.The impact to travelers would be shifting northward as the day went on, officials noted. The FAA warned of potential disruptions in Charlotte, North Carolina, an American Airlines hub.Several airlines, including Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and United, have issued advisories to passengers traveling to airports in Idalia’s path, allowing passengers to make changes for free within an allotted time.Idalia made landfall just before 8 a.m. ET near Keaton Beach in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, with even higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center. On Tuesday, Amtrak canceled several trains and modified routes in advance of the hurricane.The rail line so far canceled 12 East Coast routes for Tuesday and Wednesday that originate or terminate in the Orlando and Miami areas. Those routes are the Auto Train, Silver Star and Silver Meteor. Amtrak also shortened Palmetto routes for Tuesday and Wednesday. That train, which typically runs from New York to Savannah, Georgia, will go only as far south as Washington, D.C.
Flights across Florida continue to be disrupted Wednesday as Hurricane Idalia churns through the state.
Several airports are currently closed, including Tampa, St. Pete-Clearwater and Tallahassee, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.
Tampa's airport is reopening to inbound flights at 4 p.m. ET and full reopen on Thursday. The airport posted on X, formerly Twitter, that it "sustained minimal damage" from the storm. St. Pete-Clearwater also plans to reopen this afternoon and Sarasota's airport reopened Wednesday morning.
Flight tracking website FlightAware shows that Southwest Airlines' schedule is the most affected, with 220 cancellations and 300 delays. United, Delta and American Airlines are also impacted, with about 700 delays combined and roughly 330 cancellations.
Although about one in every six flights nationwide touches a Florida airport, airlines appeared to have successfully isolated the impacts and prevented a domino meltdown so far. The major carriers each canceled fewer than 5% of their flights as of Wednesday morning.
The impact to travelers would be shifting northward as the day went on, officials noted. The FAA warned of potential disruptions in Charlotte, North Carolina, an American Airlines hub.
Several airlines, including Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and United, have issued advisories to passengers traveling to airports in Idalia’s path, allowing passengers to make changes for free within an allotted time.
Idalia made landfall just before 8 a.m. ET near Keaton Beach in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, with even higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center.
On Tuesday, Amtrak canceled several trains and modified routes in advance of the hurricane.
The rail line so far canceled 12 East Coast routes for Tuesday and Wednesday that originate or terminate in the Orlando and Miami areas. Those routes are the Auto Train, Silver Star and Silver Meteor.
Amtrak also shortened Palmetto routes for Tuesday and Wednesday. That train, which typically runs from New York to Savannah, Georgia, will go only as far south as Washington, D.C.
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