15K Flights Delayed, 2K Flights Canceled As Milton Races Toward FL

FLORIDA — Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed, in both Georgia and Florida, as Category 4 Hurricane Milton continues to quickly journey toward the Sunshine State's west coast.

Travelers may need to alter their plans as 15,029 flights were delayed and 2,596 flights were canceled, as of FlightAware's latest data around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Milton is expected to steamroll central Florida, specifically the Tampa Bay area, between Wednesday and Thursday. Then, the strong system is expected to resume its trek toward the Atlantic Ocean, potentially bringing wind and storm surge impacts to southeast Georgia.

The Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines were experiencing 256 cancellations and 63 flight delays; while its counterpart, Southwest Airlines, had the most cancellations with 412. More than 300 American Airlines flights were canceled, and 140 flights were delayed.

Dozens of flights coming into the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were canceled.

Several airports in Florida cities sat at the top of cancellation and delay lists, with the Orlando International Airport leading both categories. The Tampa International Airport closely followed suit as second on both sides.

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority stopped operations at the Orlando airport at 8 a.m. Wednesday. The Orlando Executive Airport closed Tuesday.

"Crews are increasing their activity with storm preparations as Hurricane Milton barrels toward Central Florida. While these airports will cease commercial operations, they are not closed to emergency/aid and relief flights and will remain open as necessary. Commercial operations will resume as soon as possible based on damage assessment," the authority said in a news release.

Tampa International said it would continue commercial and cargo operations when it is safe to do so. Airport officials said the closure would last until damage assessments could be completed after Milton.

The Southwest Florida International Airport is closed through Thursday, shutting down its airlines, car rentals and parking facilities. Opening on Friday will depend on potential damage, the airport said.

American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines said impacted flights were in the following Florida towns: Fort Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Key West, Melbourne, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

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On Tuesday, Delta said flights in, to or through Valdosta and Asheville, North Carolina, were impacted due to flooding. It is unknown if the flooding is connected to the after-effects of Hurricane Helene, which slammed the East Coast late last week, or the potential effects of Milton.

The airlines offered rebooking options for affected customers.

Delta reportedly started capping its fares "for new bookings on Sunday, Oct. 6 for customers looking to fly out of Milton’s forecast path,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Twelve Florida cities had fares capped based on the distance flown, the AJC reported. More flights were also added.

Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have warned of price gouging amid Milton's threats.

"Those evacuating before Hurricane Milton or recovering from Hurricane Helene should not be subject to illegal price gouging or fraud – at the pump, airport, or hotel counter," Harris said Wednesday in a statement. "Any company or individual that tries to exploit Americans in an emergency should know that the administration is monitoring for allegations of fraud and price gouging and will hold those taking advantage of the situation accountable."

Like Harris, Biden urged airlines to avoid price gouging, the Associated Press reported.

“I’m calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations, and not to engage in price gouging — to just do it on the level,” Biden said after a hurricane briefing, per the Associated Press.

Cancellations stretched beyond flights as some cruise lines have had to redirect their plans due to Milton.

Port Tampa Bay said the threat of gale-force winds could affect maritime operations. Carnival Cruise Line, Margaritaville at Sea and Royal Caribbean International all had cruises that intended to leave the Tampa Bay dock.

At its 8 p.m. Tuesday update, Carnival said it was watching its homeports. Some ports, including in Tampa Bay, were closed or were expected to close Wednesday. Itineraries have been altered, lessening the amount of days at sea for some cruises.

The Jacksonville port closed at noon Wednesday and will remain closed Thursday, port officials said.

The Disney Cruise Line canceled its Oct. 11 Disney Wish voyage and said refunds will be processed back to the method of payment.

Like its fellow cruise lines, Margaritaville at Sea canceled the Wednesday sailing of its Paradise cruise. Sailings of the Paradise cruises thereafter were not immediately known.