Hurricane Irma Flight Cancellations Increase As Storm Disrupts System

Hurricane Irma swirled in the Caribbean seas with winds up to 185 miles per hour, making it a Category 5 storm. As of Wednesday, the storm was projected to hit Florida this weekend and airlines are canceling flights in preparation for the storm. As a result, the entire system was disrupted. The latest airline woes come just a week after Hurricane Harvey slammed Texas, sending airline carriers reeling.

Cancelations began in the Caribbean earlier this week in anticipation of the storm. Some carriers are adding flights to and from Florida before they are forced to be canceled because of Irma. American Airlines has already canceled all flights to and from their hub in Miami, according to ABC News’ Jeffrey Cook.

Over 80 Wednesday flights both in and out of Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico were canceled. Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Martin, which got hit by Irma Wednesday morning had 28 flights arriving and 30 flights departing from the airport canceled. For Miami, 11 flights in and 16 flights out of the airport have been canceled by Wednesday afternoon.

Officials warned travelers of extended delays and flight cancelations. Monroe County, Florida, which includes the Florida Keys and the state’s southernmost tip, has been issued a mandatory evacuation.

Some airlines are offering waivers for transfer and rebooking fees for destinations that will be affected by Irma, including Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United and American, according to the Washington Post.

Airlines have not yet covered from Harvey. There were over 50 cancelations of flights leaving Houston from the William P. Hobby and George W. Bush International airports. Disruptions in fuel refining capabilities in Texas and flight issues have cause jet fuel prices to spike up 20 percent.

The price of airlines tickets had not gone up because of the storm and carriers are adding flights to help with the storm.

“As with all flights, fares are typically more affordable when booked farther out, and may be higher for last-minute original bookings — that fare structure hasn’t changed as a result of the storm,” said Airlines for America, a trade group that represents major U.S. carrier.

Flights leaving Miami on Wednesday or Thursday were extremely hard to come by.

President Donald Trump declared an emergency for the state Tuesday and Gov. Rick Scott activated the state’s entire 7,000 person National Guard to be available Friday. Trump also declared emergencies for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.