Airlines Issue Flight Waivers, Airports to Close as Hurricane Milton Makes Its Way Towards Florida

Tampa International Airport and St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport both announced that they'll be closing ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall.

By Alison Fox Alison Fox

Alison Fox is a Travel + Leisure contributor. She has also written for Parents.com, The Wall Street Journal, and amNewYork. When she’s not in New York City, she can be found at the beach or on the slopes. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 8, 2024

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Courtesy of NOAA

Florida is bracing for another major hurricane on Monday just as the state was still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

Hurricane Milton, which is currently churning in the Gulf of Mexico, is now a Category 4 hurricane, The Weather Channel reported on Tuesday.

Ahead of the impact, airlines across the country have issued flight alerts to help customers who planned to fly in or out of airports across Florida. Delta Air Lines, for example, will waive change fees for customers with tickets to fly through Oct. 9 to or from several cities in Florida, including Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Key West, Tampa, Orlando, and more.

Similarly, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines each issued flight waivers through Oct. 10. Frontier Airlines waived all change fees for flights scheduled by Oct. 10, but said changes in the itinerary were subject to any difference in fare.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) as well as St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE) both announced that they'll be closing ahead of the storm's predicted landfall.

“We will suspend flight operations at 9 a.m. Tuesday and reopen when safe to do so,” Tampa Airport posted on X on Monday. “TPA is not a shelter for people or vehicles.”

Similarly, PIE shared on X that it will close after its last flight on Tuesday and remain closed until Thursday. The airport is in the mandatory evacuation zone.

Cruise lines also issued advisories and have modified itineraries. For example, Carnival Cruise Line has already altered several itineraries. For its part, Margaritaville at Sea moved up its Oct. 8 sailing on the Margaritaville at Sea Islander from Tampa, instead having it depart on Monday.

The preparations for Milton come just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall as a devastating Category 4 storm in Florida and moved up the coast to batter the Carolinas, leaving many without power and other necessities. 

Milton is the thirteenth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, according to AccuWeather, in what experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have forecast could end up being one of the most active hurricane seasons on record.