As hurricane Milton approaches a potential landfall in Tampa, Florida, it has weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm on Tuesday, October 8. It has led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights on Tuesday and Wednesday when the hurricane could potentially make landfall.
Emergency orders are in effect for over 100 counties in Florida and later the Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday that time has come for mass evacuations. The approaching hurricane has affected the travel plans of people going to or from Florida. Several major Florida airports have closed down, including the Tampa and Orlando international airports.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 700 flights were canceled, and on Wednesday, 1500 flights had already been canceled a day in advance, USA Today reported citing data from the flight tracking website, FlightAware.
American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have cancelled several flights to and from Florida. However, given the weather-related interruption caused by the Hurricane's potential landfall, the Airlines have offered ticket holders to change their dates of travel free-of-cost, irrespective of the class of ticket they have bought.
Also read: Hurricane Milton Heads For Florida: Latest Track, Warnings And Safety Tips
Meanwhile, American Airlines made arrangements for flying out passengers in advance from Tampa and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. With the potential landfall slated for Wednesday, the airlines said they added 2000 extra seats in flights allowing flyers to leave Florida on Monday and Tuesday.
Note: Specific details about the flights can be accessed through the website of the airline.