Hurricane Idalia Disrupts Air Travel

As Hurricane Idalia gets closer to the Gulf Coast of Florida, all flights from Tampa International Airport have been canceled.

On Monday night, Idalia strengthened into a hurricane with maximum wind speeds of 75 mph. Also, the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport Terminal is expected to close.

The flight-tracking website, FlightAware, reported that SouthWest Airlines canceled 144 flights and United, Delta and American Airlines delayed 460 flights and canceled more than 200 flights combined.

“Several airlines, including Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and United, have issued advisories to passengers traveling to airports in Idalia’s path, allowing passengers to make changes for free within an allotted time. United also added additional flights from Orlando and Sarasota to its hubs to help people leave the area,” per CNN. 

Amtrak has also had to cancel trains and modify many routes in preparation for the storm. 

Idalia is expected to intensify before it makes landfall in Florida.