Impact of Hurricane Helene on tourism: Flights canceled as storm leaves a trail of destruction
Much of the Southeast was besieged by Hurricane Helene from late Thursday night into Friday, after the storm made landfall as a Category 4 storm in northwest Florida shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday.
The storm quickly moved north leaving a wide swath of destruction, causing flooding across much of the Gulf Coast of Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. At least 22 people were confirmed dead as of early Friday afternoon.
Related: Florida declares a state of emergency to prepare for Hurricane Helene – here’s what you need to know
With impacts and damages across the Southeast, tourism operators have made changes regarding safety hazards and damages. Here’s what you need to know.
Which airlines and airports are affected?
The impact on flights was less severe than it could have been, with the storm making landfall and heading north avoiding some of the busiest times for takeoffs and landings. According to FlightAware, about 941 flights to, from and within the United States were canceled as of 1:45 p.m. Friday.
After being closed on Thursday due to the impact of the storm before official landfall, Tampa International Airport (TPA) reopened on Friday after reporting that the airport did not sustain significant damage. Other airports were closed on Thursday, including St. Pete-Clearwater (PIE) – where Allegiant Air operates commercial flights – is also open on Friday. About a third of TPA’s departure flights were canceled, along with about 10% of arrival flights.
Although Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was directly in the storm’s path, the storm’s travel time kept disruption to a minimum. Just 80 flights from ATL had been canceled by 1:45pm on Friday, or 6% of those scheduled, while another 92 domestic flights – or 7% – were also cancelled.
However, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has been impacted more significantly than forecast, after Helane’s strong eastern edge rotated across the area. Some 190 departure flights – 21% – and 205 domestic flights – 23% – were canceled as of Friday afternoon, while hundreds more were delayed.
Delta has launched one Travel exemptions for passengers scheduled to fly to, from or via ATL on Friday, September 27; the waiver allows them to rebook travel between September 28 and October 1 without paying the fare difference. New flights must be booked in advance and take place before October 1.
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The airline has issued broader waivers for travel to or from airports across most of its forecast route, including airports in cities in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mexico and Cuba. That exemption applies to travelers scheduled to fly between September 25 and 27. The trip must be rebooked and take place before October 4.
Other airlines offered similar waivers before the storm. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue each offered various waivers for travel scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, as did Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant.
Even if the storm passes, if you’re scheduled to fly in the next few days, make sure you check your reservations and contact the airline to understand your options.
Does it affect cruise ship operations?
The cruise ports of Port Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville are currently closed. Additionally, several cruise lines – including Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Margaritaville at Sea and Carnival Cruise Line – have changed itineraries due to the storm. Cruise ship departures from PortMiami and Port Canaveral cruise ports are delayed. Additionally, ships currently at sea and preparing to return to the Tampa and Jacksonville cruise ports will return later than expected.
Cruise ships planning to depart from those two ports in the next few days should call their cruise lines for updates on the potential impact of Hurricane Helene on their itineraries.
Is there any impact on theme parks?
Several parks in the Orlando and Tampa areas – including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Universal’s Volcano Bay water park – decided to close on Thursday.
At Disney World, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and its miniature golf courses will be closed Thursday. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was also canceled Thursday night, with Magic Kingdom park hours extended from 6 to 8 p.m. for regular guests. Tickets to Disney’s Halloween party are being refunded.
At Universal Orlando, Thursday night’s Halloween Horror Nights event was also canceled. Those with tickets dated for that event on Thursday night can be honored on another night until Sunday, September 29.
Legoland Florida Resort and SeaWorld Orlando are currently operating normally.
Is it safe to travel to Florida and Georgia?
If you have an upcoming trip scheduled to Florida or Georgia, stay ahead of developments in your specific area. It’s probably best to re-arrange travel.
Airlines have issued travel warnings offering free changes and more flexibility, so if you’ve booked a flight for Thursday or Friday, you should rebook for later or cancel altogether. Florida declares a state of emergency for 41 of the state’s 67 counties; Georgia has also declared a state of emergency in many parts of that state.
A tropical storm warning is in place for much of Atlanta. If the storm makes a big impact there, it could disrupt flights across the country because ATL is a major hub.
Bottom line
If you’ve booked a trip in the next few days, you should pay special attention to airport delays and cancellations as a major storm could impact travel across the country. If you plan to travel to Georgia or Florida, it’s best to reschedule or cancel completely. If you are traveling to a potentially affected destination, you should make alternative plans now.
Airlines have enabled more flexible ticket change and cancellation rules. If you book a trip with one The credit card offers some built-in trip insurancereview the terms of those benefits to find out what costs you can recoup in the event of any non-refundable fees.
While this should go without saying, you should not travel to any storm-affected areas of the state where officials have asked residents to stay off the roads.
We will continue to update this developing story as the storm progresses.
For more helpful tips on navigating travel during hurricane season, read:
