Got a flight this week from or to Florida? Might want to check your flight status ASAP.
Hurricane Milton is currently makingits way to Florida's Gulf Coast, two weeks after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida as a Category 3 storm in the state's Big Bend region.
As of Wednesday, Oct. 9, Milton is a a very large, powerful storm with maximum sustained winds were at 155 mph. The latest hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles.
Devastating impacts are forecast for Florida, includinglife-threatening storm surge, flooding rain and damaging winds. Here's what Florida travelers should know about airport cancellations and their rights when flight disruptions arise.
Where is Milton? When will Hurricane Milton hit Florida?
Milton is still in the Gulf of Mexico and is estimated to make landfalljustsouth of the mouth of Tampa Bay.The path will fluctuate and has a margin of error at 24 hours of about 40 miles, the National Hurricane Center said.
The time of the landfall is still unknown, with the NHC reporting between late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. AccuWeather is predicting landfall around 2 a.m. Thursday.
It is predicted to hit as a Category 3 or 4 depending on the forecast you're looking at.
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Are any Florida airports closing for Hurricane Milton?
▶Daytona Beach International Airportwill close at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Reopening date will be determined after storm passes.
▶Jacksonville International Airportis currently open and operational, says they are monitoring conditions.
▶Melbourne Orlando International Airportwillclose commercial flight operations at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and will reopen at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 11.
▶Miami International Airportremains open and will be monitoring the storm, advises travelers to check with airlines for flight status and to take precaution before driving to airport.
▶Northwest Florida Beaches International Airportnear Panama City Beach is currently open, advises passengers to check their flight status.
▶Punta Gorda Airportin Charlotte County closed its Baily Terminal and said they were notified that all Allegiant flights were canceled Wednesday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct. 11. Its other airport facilities and runways will remain open as long as conditions are safe.
▶Orlando International Airportclosed at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9. They did not specify a reopen date.
▶Sanford Orlando International Airportis open but said that all Allegiant Flights are canceled from Wednesday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct. 11.
▶Sarasota Bradenton International Airportclosed at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9. They did not specify a reopen date.
▶Southwest Florida International Airportnear Fort Myers is closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10
▶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.
▶Tampa International Airport suspended operations at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, ahead of Hurricane Milton. Please check with your airline for the latest flight information.
▶Tallahassee International Airportremains open and operational.
Are any flights canceled or delayed as of Wednesday, Oct. 9?
According toFlightAware, 1,721 flights have been canceled and 288 have been delayed within, in and out of the country the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 9. Most of these are at Florida airports:
- Orlando International Airport: 399 cancelations
- Tampa International Airport: 191
- Southwest Florida International Airport: 78
- Miami International: 33
- Sarasota Bradenton International Airport: 32
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.
Contributing: Eve Chen, USA Today
This story has been updated to add video.
