Airlines canceled over 2,000 U.S. flights on Tuesday and Wednesday and some Florida airports halted operations as they braced for impact from Hurricane Ian, which was set to make landfall in the state.
As of 1:20 p.m. ET Wednesday, airlines had scrapped 403 flights on Tuesday and 2,100 on Wednesday across the United States, and 3,286 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed on Tuesday, and 1,491 on Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website Flightaware.com.
Hurricane Ian on Wednesday began lashing Florida’s Gulf Coast with powerful winds and drenching rain, prompting authorities to tell residents it was too late to evacuate as the eye of the storm inched toward shore with close to Category 5 power.
At 11 a.m. ET, Ian was around 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Punta Gorda, Florida, with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Both Tampa and St. Pete-Clearwater airports in southwest Florida halted operations on Tuesday. The Sarasota Bradenton Airport halted operations on Tuesday evening. Orlando Airport ceased operations Wednesday.
Walt Disney said on Tuesday it would close its Orlando theme parks on Wednesday and Thursday.
Even Florida airports not closing were experiencing major impacts. Airlines canceled about 40 percent of flights at Miami International Airport on Wednesday.
Florida is a major part of U.S. aviation and some airlines like JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines typically expect 40 percent or more of their daily flights touch a Florida airport.
Through Wednesday afternoon, JetBlue has canceled 25 percent of its U.S. flights on Wednesday, while Southwest has canceled 13 percent.
Southwest suspended operations on Tuesday in Havana, Cuba, and is suspending operations at some Florida airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was “closely monitoring” Hurricane Ian and its path.
Major U.S. carriers also halted some operations.
American Airlines issued a travel alert for 20 airports in the western Caribbean and Florida waiving change fees for ticket booked by Sept. 23.