Over 1,700 Flights Canceled, Airports Close, Cruises Divert as Hurricane Milton Approaches Florida

09.10.2024 - 16:23 / travelandleisure.com

As Hurricane Milton hurdles its way towards Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, flights have been canceled, airlines and cruises have diverted, and theme parks have shuttered.

Milton, which is currently moving across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, was expected to make landfall as an “extremely dangerous major hurricane” late Wednesday or early Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm featured maximum sustained winds near 155 mph with hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles from the center, and threatened a “dangerous storm surge.” 

As a result, more than 1,700 flights had already been canceled within, into, or out of the United States early Wednesday morning, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Several major airports in Florida planned to close ahead of the hurricane, including Orlando International Airport (MCO), which announced it would cease operations at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and open “once a damage assessment has been conducted of all airport facilities and immediate safety issues addressed.” More than 800 flights were canceled in and out of the airport on Wednesday.

Similarly, Tampa International Airport (TPA) suspended all commercial and cargo operations on Tuesday, canceling more than 380 incoming and outgoing flights on Wednesday. This was the second time in as many weeks Tampa’s airport had to close following Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a devastating Category 4 storm in Florida late last month. 

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) also suspended operations on Wednesday and said it planned to remain closed on Thursday.

Several airlines issued flight waivers ahead of Milton, including Delta Air Lines,  United Airlines, American Airlines, and more. For its part, United also told Travel + Leisure it added 18 extra flights to Florida and employed larger aircraft on Monday and Tuesday as well as capped Florida fares. However, United said its flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, and Sarasota were all full for Wednesday and Thursday.

“We will continue to adjust our schedule to account for the hurricane and airport closures,” the airline said in a statement shared with T+L. 

Cruises out of Florida were also affected with several cruise ports forced to cease vessel traffic, including the Port of Tampa Bay, the Port of Jacksonville, and Port Canaveral. As a result, cruise lines were forced to divert or cancel sailings, including Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, and Margaritaville at Sea.  

And when it came to hotels and home rentals, Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo told T+L the companies issued travel waivers for travelers “with reservations impacted by Hurricane Milton.”

On the ground in Florida, major theme parks closed