This story was published on Monday, Oct. 7. See update for Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Hurricane Milton is making its way to Florida's Gulf Coast, roughly two weeks after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida as a Category 3 storm in the state's Big Bend region.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 8, Milton is a very strong Category 4 stormwith winds of more than 150 mph. Evacuations have to be completed on Tuesday as shelters across Florida were opening.
Devastating impacts are forecast for Florida, includinglife-threatening storm surge, flooding rain and damaging windsas the storm is forecast to make landfall somewhere on the Gulf Coast, possibly in the Tampa Bay or points south, then sweeping across the state on a mostly northeast track menacing the Orlando area and the beach communities to the northeast.
Even before Hurricane Helene made landfall, thousands of flights were delayed or canceled due to the Category 4 storm’s rainfall and wind speed.
Got a flight later this week? Here's what Florida travelers should know about airport cancellations and their rights when flight disruptions arise.
Where is Milton? Will Hurricane Milton impact Florida?
Hurricane Milton currently is in the Gulf of Mexico and is moving toward Florida, with a landfall expected between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. It has been classified as a Category 3 as of Monday morning, sustaining wind speed of 120 mph.
The storm is predicted to hit as a Category 4. Officials warn residents of severe storm surge, rainfall and winds ahead of Hurricane Milton. Gov. Ron DeSantis has already declared a state of emergency for 51 counties:
Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Union, and Volusia counties.
Are any Florida airports closing for Hurricane Milton? Are any flights canceled already?
According to FlightAware, only 685 flights have been canceled and 451 have been delayed within, in and out of the country the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 8. Most of these are at Florida airports.
Here's a look at various airports around Florida as of Tuesday, Oct.8:
▶Miami International Airportremains open and operational, advises travelers to check with airlines for flight status and to take precaution before driving to airport.
▶Tallahassee International Airport remains open and operational.
▶Tampa International Airportwill suspend operations at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, ahead of Hurricane Milton. Please check with your airline for the latest flight information.
▶St. Pete–Clearwater International Airporthas canceled all flights Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10. They said to check the status of your flights for Tuesday.
▶Northwest Florida Beaches International Airportnear Panama City Beach is currently open, advises passengers to check their flight status.
▶Orlando International Airportis currently open but will cease operations on 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9.
▶Jacksonville International Airportis currently open and operational, says they are monitoring conditions.
▶Southwest Florida International Airportnear Fort Myers is open but will cease operations on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Do you get compensation for a canceled flight?
Yes. The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer customers a refundif their flights are canceled for any reason. Customers may be entitled to additional compensation if a cancellation is within the airline's control. Weather, again, is outside their control.
According to theDOT's consumer dashboard, if Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue or United cancela flight for controllable reasons, they're committed to:
- Rebookingpassengers on the same airline or a partner airline at no extra cost
- Providinga meal or cash or a voucher for a meal when the cancellation results in a passenger waiting at least 3 hours for a new flight
- Providingcomplimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Providingcomplimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Allegiant, Southwest, and Spirit will do all of the above, except they do not rebook customers on partner airlines.
Frontier will not rebook travelers on other airlines, cover a hotel or provide transportation to a hotel for overnight cancellations.
What happens if my flight is delayed?
Federal laws do not require airlines to compensate travelers for delayed flights, but carriers have committed to various degrees of compensation for significant delays within their control. Each airline defines significant delays differently, and weather does not count.
If a flight is significantly delayed for reasons within their control, Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue and United offer:
- Rebookingpassengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no extra cost
- Providinga meal or cash or a voucher for a meal when the delay results in a passenger waiting for at least 3 hours for departure
- Providingcomplimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Providingcomplimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Allegiant, Hawaiian, Southwest and Spirit do not rebook travelers on partner airlines, but offer the rest of the above. Additionally, Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest also offer additional compensation when the flight is delayed by three or more hours for controllable reasons.
Frontier will offer rebooking on the same airlines and a meal, but no hotel accommodations, transportation, or booking on other airlines.
What should I do if my flight is delayed?
Airlines will sometimes offer compensation beyond what they've formally committed to with the Department of Transportation.
For instance, according toDelta's Customer Commitment, "Delta representatives are empowered with the flexibility and discretion to issue the following forms of compensation for passenger inconvenience when individual circumstances warrant doing so: cash equivalents (e.g., gift cards), travel credits/vouchers, and/or miles for SkyMiles members."
Travel insuranceand certain credit card protections can also help offset costs tied to covered cancellations and delays.
