Much of the Southeast was battered by Hurricane Helene from Thursday night into Friday, after the storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in northwest Florida shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday night.
The storm moved quickly northward leaving a wide swath of destruction, with flooding along much of the Gulf Coast of Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. Early Friday afternoon, at least 22 people were confirmed dead.
With impacts and damage across much of the Southeast, travel operators have made changes around safety hazards and damage. 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, as the timing of the storm’s landfall and its northward track avoided some of the busiest times for takeoffs and landings. About 941 flights to, from and within the US were canceled as of 1:45 pm on Friday, according to FlightAware.
After closing Thursday as the storm’s effects were felt ahead of its official landfall, Tampa International Airport (TPA) reopened Friday after reporting no significant damage. Other airports that had closed on Thursday, including St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE), where Allegiant Air operates commercial flights, were also open on Friday. About a third of TPA’s outbound flights were canceled, along with about 10% of inbound flights.
Although Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was directly in the path of the storm, the timing of the storm’s movements kept disruptions to a minimum. Just under 80 ATL flights were canceled as of 1:45 p.m. Friday, or 6% of those scheduled, while another 92 incoming flights, or 7%, were also canceled.
However, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) was affected more significantly than forecasts had suggested, after the strong eastern edge of Helane moved through the region. Around 190 outbound flights (21%) and 205 inbound flights (23%) were canceled as of Friday afternoon, while several hundred more were delayed.
Delta issued a passenger travel exemption scheduled to fly to, from or through ATL on Friday, September 27; The waiver allows them to rebook trips from September 28 to October 1 without paying a difference in fares. The new flight must be booked and taken by October 1.
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The airline issued a broader waiver for travel to or from airports on much of the planned route, including those to cities in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mexico and Cuba. That exemption applies to travelers scheduled to fly from September 25 to 27. Trip must be rebooked and taken by October 4.
Other airlines issued similar waivers before the storm. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue each offered several waivers for travel scheduled between Wednesday and Friday, as did Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant.
Even after the storm passes, if you are scheduled to fly in the next few days, be sure to check your reservation and check with your airline to understand your options.
Will it affect cruise line operations?
The cruise ports of Port Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville are currently closed. Additionally, some cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Margaritaville at Sea and Carnival Cruise Line, have modified their itineraries due to the hurricane. Cruise departures from the PortMiami and Port Canaveral cruise ports are delayed. Additionally, ships currently at sea that will return to the Tampa and Jacksonville cruise ports will return later than scheduled.
Cruise ships planning to depart from those two ports in the coming days should call their cruise line for updates on the potential impact of Hurricane Helene on their itinerary.
Any impact on theme parks?
Some parks in the Orlando and Tampa areas, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Universal’s Volcano Bay water park, decided to close Thursday.
At Disney World, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park and its mini golf courses are closed on Thursdays. Mickey’s not-so-scary Halloween party is also canceled for Thursday night, and Magic Kingdom park hours are extended from 6 to 8 p.m. for regular visitors. Tickets to Disney’s Halloween party are being refunded.
At Universal Orlando, Thursday night’s Halloween Horror Nights event is also canceled. Those who have tickets dated for that event on Thursday night can receive them for a different night through 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. Maybe it’s better to reorganize the trip.
Airlines have issued travel alerts offering free changes and more flexibility, so if you have flights booked for Thursday or Friday, it may make sense to rebook for later or cancel them altogether. Florida declared a state of emergency for 41 of the state’s 67 counties; Georgia has also declared a state of emergency in some parts of that state.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for much of Atlanta. If the storm ends up having a big impact there, it could ruin flights across the country since ATL is a huge hub.
In a nutshell
If you’ve booked travel for the next few days, you should pay special attention to delays and cancellations at airports, as a major hurricane can impact travel across the country. If you have plans to travel to Georgia or Florida, it would be best to reschedule or cancel it altogether. If you are traveling to a destination that could be affected, you should make alternative plans now.
Airlines have activated more flexible change and cancellation rules. If you booked a trip with a credit card that provides some built-in travel insuranceCheck the terms of those benefits to find out what expenses you can recover for non-refundable charges.
Although it goes without saying, you should not travel to any part of a state affected by hurricanes where officials have told people to stay off the roads.
We will continue to update this developing story as the storm progresses.
For more helpful tips on traveling during hurricane season, read:
