As Hurricane Ian churned toward Florida's west coast, several airports in the region announced closures and airlines were forced to cancel thousands of flights.
Flight cancellations in and and out of Florida are impacting travelers across the country. According to flight tracking site FlightAware, more than 2,000 flights scheduled for Wednesday and over 1,600 on Thursday have been canceled.
Tampa International Airport suspended all operations at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday and Orlando International Airport announced it would be closing at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Ahead of the approaching storm, American Airlines reduced fares for flights out of 20 Florida airports that could be impacted by the storm. The airline also waved fees for checked baggage and carry-on pets to help those in the area to evacuate.
A number of other airlines have warned of potential travel impacts due to the storm:
Delta
Delta is moving aircraft and crews out of Hurricane Ian’s path and offering a waiver for impacted customers. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 27, Delta flights will not operate at the following airports, with flights tentatively schedule to resume Friday, Sept. 30, if conditions permit:
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
Delta will not operate at Orlando International Airport (MCO) beginning Wednesday, Sept. 28. Flying may resume on Friday if conditions allow. Delta expects to continue operations at other Florida airports but urges customers to watch their flight status.
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On Tuesday, Delta expanded the fare difference waiver it initially issued on Sunday to include more destinations in Georgia and South Carolina and airports throughout Florida. The waiver is effected until Sept. 30.
Visit delta.com for up-to-date information.
Southwest Airlines
Customers scheduled to travel to or from any Florida cities between Sept. 25 through Oct. 2 may change their departure to any of the other Florida destinations without paying an additional cost.
Travelers flying to Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby within 14 days of the original date without paying an additional charge.
The airline will waive the $95 pet fare for customers traveling with small vaccinated domestic dogs or cats within the listed Florida cities. For a full list of applicable cities visit click here.
Spirit
Spirit issued a Flexible Travel Policy for those traveling to, from or through Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, or Tampa airports between Sept. 27-30. Spirit is allowing travelers to modify and change flights without an additional charge for bookings through Oct. 3.
For more information, click here.
United Airlines
United Airlines is offering travel waivers for anyone with flights from Sept. 23-30 at the following airports.
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
- Ft. Myers, FL (RSW)
- Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
- Key West, FL (EYW)
- Miami, FL (MIA)
- Orlando, FL (MCO)
- Panama City, FL (ECP)
- Pensacola, FL (PNS)
- Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
- Tampa, FL (TPA)
- West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)
Travelers have until Oct. 8 to rebook. For additional information visit United.com.
JetBlue
JetBlue is waiving the change, cancel and fare differences fees for customers traveling between Sept. 26 through Sept. 30, on flights to and from select airports in Florida.
Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Thursday, Oct. 6. Customers whose flights were cancelled may also opt for a refund to the original form of payment. Original travel must have been booked on or before Sunday, Sept. 25.
The airline is also waiving fees for those who booked flights to Havana, Cuba between Sept. 26 and Sept. 27. For a full list of effected airports and additional information visit JetBlue.com.
American Airlines
Customers traveling to and from more than dozen airports in the western Caribbean and Florida will have the change fee waived if they purchased their ticket before Sept. 23, for travel scheduled between Sept. 23 and Oct. 1. Origin and destination city cannot be changed.
For a full list of airports and how to make the change online, visit aa.com's travel alert center.
Breeze
Breeze has suspended all flights to and from Florida until Friday, Sept. 30, due to Hurricane Ian. Travelers scheduled to travel to or from any of the Florida cities that Breeze serves can make changes or cancellations for no additional charge by logging into their guest account and visiting My Trips.
Visit Flybreeze.com for support and full list of destination cities impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Avelo Air
Customers traveling to and from the airports listed below between Wednesday, Sept. 28, and Friday, Sept. 30, are eligible to change their flights for no difference in air fare between Sept. 25 and Oct. 31, 2022:
- Fort Myers, FL (RSW)
- Sarasota-Bradenton, FL (SRQ)
- Tampa, FL (TPA)
- Orlando, FL (MCO)
- West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)
- Ft Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
To change your flight, contact Avelo at (346) 616-9500
Silver Airways
Silver Airways is waiving change fees, cancellation fees and the cost of the fare differences for customers whose travel itineraries are expected to be impacted by Hurricane Ian. Those destinations are:
- Tampa, FL (TPA)
- Tallahassee, FL (TLH)
- Pensacola, FL (PNS)
- Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
- Orlando, FL (MCO)
- Key West, FL (EYW)
The original travel dates need to between within Sept. 26 and Sept. 30 for flights that were booked by Sept. 25.
Evacuations were underway along Florida's Gulf Coast Tuesday. Affected destinations include Tampa, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Jacksonville, Orlando and Key West. Visit SilverAirways.com for additional information or assistance in rebooking.
