Hurricane Idalia Causes Major Flight Disruptions Across Florida and Beyond

Tampa, FL – Hurricane Idalia has caused major flight disruptions across Florida and beyond after making landfall on the state’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday. Three major Florida airports, including Tampa International Airport, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, closed on Tuesday ahead of the storm.

The storm, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, by Wednesday morning had canceled more than 1,000 flights and delayed nearly 900 more traveling to and from U.S. airports, data from flight-status tracker FlightAware shows. The hurricane has since been downgraded to a Category 1 about 2 1/2 hours after landfall, as wind speeds decreased to 90 mph.

Most of the half-dozen major Florida airports that shut down operations when the massive storm was menacing the state reopened for business. Southwest Airlines’ schedule was the most affected by Idalia, with 220 cancellations and 300 delays, the flight tracking website FlightAware showed.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is encouraging travelers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information. The agency also warned on its official Twitter feed as Idalia was moving into south Georgia, “Hurricane #Idalia is causing flight cancellations as it makes landfall in Florida.”

The FAA is urging travelers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information. Passengers should also allow extra time to get to the airport and to check in for their flights. Airlines are also offering waivers for passengers who need to change their flights due to the storm.