With Hurricane Helene barely gone and affected towns starting to rebuild the damage, yet another cyclone is about to hit the Florida coast. Hurricane Milton formed Monday evening, off Mexico’s northern coast, and is bound to reach Tampa around 7:00 pm local time tomorrow evening, travel northeast across the state, and leave land around 12 hours later.
Bracing for the category 5 hurricane that will bring winds of up to 180 mph (290 km/h), airlines and airports have issued guidelines for passengers with flights to and from the region, so they know what to expect and how to prepare for their affected travel plans.
1. Airports
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) will cease commercial passenger operations from 8:00 am on Wednesday at Orlando International Airport (MCO), and from 10:00 pm tonight at Orlando Executive airport (ORL). While these airports will cease commercial operations, they will remain open as necessary for emergency, aid and relief flights.
Commercial operations will resume as soon as possible based on damage assessment, the authority said. Meanwhile, hurricane preparations throughout the facility, including sandbagging doors and tying down all boarding bridges, are being finalized. Communications with city, county, state and federal emergency management officials and the National Weather Service in Melbourne are ongoing.
Moreover, GOAA has reminded the public that, while the Orlando International Airport (MCO) is built to handle severe weather typical of the Central Florida region, including hurricanes, it is not an authorised shelter and cannot accommodate local residents during severe weather events.
Besides the two Orlando airports, Tampa International Airport will also suspended commercial flights as of 9:00 am today, while St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will follow suit after the last flight tonight and will remain closed at least until Thursday.
2. Airlines
American Airlines will suspend operations at Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) shortly after midnight tonight. Ahead of the cancellations, the airline scheduled multiple additional flights with more than 2,000 seats yesterday evening and early this morning from TPA and SRQ to allow customers to evacuate by air.
United Airlines has suspended flights from 7 to 12 October at the following airports: Key West (EYW), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Jacksonville (JAX), Orlando (MCO), Miami (MIA), West Palm Beach (PBI), Fort Myers (RSW), Sarasota/Bradenton (SRQ) and Tampa (TPA).
Delta Air Lines has signalled disruptions at the same airports, but only from 7 to 10 October.
Southwest Airlines has said flights may be “delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled” between 7 and 10 October at RSW, MCO, SRQ and TPA, and between 9 and 10 October at FLL, JAX, MIA and PBI.