Travelers might be wise to check for flight delays before heading to the airport this week, especially if you have a flight to the Gulf Coast, Georgia or the Carolinas as Hurricane Michael disrupts air traffic.
As of Tuesday evening, several commercial airports in Florida have announced closures in advance of the hurricane's landfall.
Panama City Airport announced all flights for American, Delta, Southwest and United Airlines are canceled until at least Thursday morning. The airport says it anticipates a Thursday start-up, pending a post-storm assessment.
Destin-Ft. Walton Beach Airport announced it will close at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday and remained closed until further notice.
At Tallahassee International Airport, all commercial flights have been canceled for Wednesday with an expected resumption of 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Pensacola Airport is also shutting down operations at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday until further notice.
Delta said it is ferrying its fleet from the affected airports to Atlanta during the hurricane. Delta also announced it has capped fares in Destin, Panama City, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Mobile, Ala. at $299 in Main Cabin and $499 in the forward cabin each way between Oct. 9 and Oct. 11.
Southwest Airlines said starting Tuesday, October 9, through Sunday, October 14, it will waive the $95 pet fare for customers traveling with small vaccinated domestic dogs or cats to/from the following cities:
- Panama City (ECP)
- Pensacola (PNS)
- Tampa (TPA)
Following Michael's landfall, the storm is expected to impact Georgia and the Carolinas. Multiple airlines report that some flight disruptions are possible in areas such as Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C., Charlotte, N.C., and Raleigh, N.C.
