Airports and Airlines Brace for Hurricane Milton

Skift Take

Major Florida airports are planning to suspend operations due to Hurricane Milton as the region continues to recover from Hurricane Helene.

Meghna Maharishi

Multiple airlines and airports are preparing for Hurricane Milton, a “potentially catastrophic” storm that’s expected to hit southwest Florida on Wednesday.

The storm comes as Florida is recovering from Hurricane Helene, which has now become one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. Earlier on Monday, Hurricane Milton intensified into a Category 5 storm, but is expected to weaken to a Category 3 storm once it makes landfall in Florida, according to NBC News. 

Tampa International Airport and Orlando International Airport have said that they plan to suspend operations in anticipation of the storm. American, Delta, United, JetBlue and Southwest started issuing travel waivers in Florida. 

In a note to investors on Monday, Citi analyst Stephen Trent said that cancellations from Hurricane Milton could cause Southwest and Spirit to take a major hit to their earnings because of their exposure to Tampa. 

Here is a breakdown on how Hurricane Milton is impacting airlines and airports:

Airports Start Suspending Operations

• Tampa International Airport said on Monday that it would suspend operations starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and will remain closed “until it can assess any damage after the storm.”
• Orlando International Airport plans to suspend operations Wednesday morning and will resume commercial operations “as soon as it is safe.”
• St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it will close Tuesday afternoon after the last flight departs. 
• Orlando Sanford International Airport said in a post on X that its “staff and tenants are preparing for the hurricane,” but it hasn’t given any details yet on its operations. 
• Miami International Airport said it was still open and monitoring Hurricane Milton. 
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport said it would also remain open since it’s not in the direct path of Hurricane Milton, but it was still monitoring the storm for severe weather. 

Airlines Offer Waivers

• Delta Air Lines is allowing customers to rebook travel to Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Key West, Melbourne, Daytona Beach, Gainesville and Jacksonville. Delta said the rebooked travel must begin no later than October 15. If a customer decides to cancel, then the unused value of the ticket can be applied to a new flight, according to Delta’s website. 
• United Airlines is waiving change fees and fare differences for Tampa, Orlando, Key West, Fort Myers and Sarasota. New flights must depart by October 17, and rebooked tickets need to have the same cabin and cities as the original. 
• Southwest Airlines said customers can rebook travel from Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Miami, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale without paying additional fees. Travel would need to occur within 14 days of the original date if a customer decides to rebook. 
• JetBlue plans to waive change and cancel fees, along with fare differences for flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Sarasota and West Palm Beach. Customers can rebook their flights for travel through October 17.