US airlines have cancelled flights and adjusted schedules in anticipation of Hurricane Milton, which will make landfall on Florida on Wednesday.
FlightAware, which tracks flights, reports that 896 flights into, out of, or within the United States have been delayed and 696 have been canceled as of Tuesday. The number is expected rise, as more than 1,500 scheduled flights for Wednesday are already canceled.
Southwest Airlines, one of the biggest US airlines, announced that it was adjusting its schedule for several airports, including Tampa International Airport, and Orlando International Airport. Orlando International Airport, one of the busiest in the US, announced that it would cease operation at 8 a.m. local on Wednesday.
Analysts at Raymond James say Allegiant Air and Sun County Airlines, as well as JetBlue Airways, are likely to be negatively affected if Hurricanes Milton or Helene, both of which recently hit Florida, impact travel demand. FlightAware reports that Allegiant, JetBlue, and Sun Country have canceled, respectively, 41 and 92 flights on Tuesday, while Sun Country has told Reuters that it has canceled 19 passenger flights.
Hurricane Milton was expected grow in size as it passed Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on its way to Florida’s battered Gulf Coast. More than 1 million people had been ordered to evacuate. In response to the expected disruptions some airlines such as United Airlines, JetBlue, and Air Canada have added additional capacity to move people from Florida.
