Florida is bracing itself yet again. According to the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Milton is rapidly intensifying into a Category 5 hurricane. RELATED: The hurricane app Floridians use and travelers should too
10:55 CDT Monday Update: Milton rapidly intensifies into a category 5 hurricane. Data from a @53rdWRS hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to 160 mph (250 km/h) with higher gusts. Follow the latest at https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ pic.twitter.com/mOxuvGdtu5
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 7, 2024
Hurricane Milton
Yesterday, United Airlines (and other airlines) issued a travel waiver for a handful of Florida airports for what was then Tropical Storm Milton. Unfortunately, Milton has dramatically intensified and is expected to be a major hurricane when it hits the west coast of Florida on Wednesday. As of now, travelers have today through Thursday (October 7-10, 2024) to change their plans as this waiver allows for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through the airports listed:
• Ft. Myers, FL (RSW)
• Key West, FL (EYW)
• Orlando, FL (MCO)
• Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
• Tampa, FL (TPA)
Here’s a list of airline policies: Air Canada | Alaska | American Airlines | Delta | Frontier | Hawaiian | JetBlue | Southwest | United | WestJet.
✈️ Airports closing in advance
The storm is expected to be so strong that closures have already been announced for airports along the hurricane’s path, starting with Tampa International Airport tomorrow (Tuesday, October 8) at 9 a.m. The same goes for Orlando International Airport (MCO) and (ORL) the following day (Wednesday, October 9).
Tampa International Airport (@FlyTPA) just tweeted:
🚨 TPA TO CLOSE DUE TO MILTON 🚨
🛑 We will suspend flight operations at 9 a.m. Tuesday and reopen when safe to do so
✈️ Check directly with your airline for flight updates
⛈️ TPA is not a shelter for people or vehicles
📲 Stay tuned to our social media for more info
🚨 TPA TO CLOSE DUE TO MILTON 🚨⁰
🛑 We will suspend flight operations at 9 a.m. Tuesday and reopen when safe to do so⁰⁰✈️ Check directly with your airline for flight updates⁰⁰⛈️ TPA is not a shelter for people or vehicles⁰⁰📲 Stay tuned to our social media for more info pic.twitter.com/G4UxrR0BpP— Tampa International Airport ✈️ (@FlyTPA) October 7, 2024
Orlando International Airport (@MCO) is sharing a lot of news on their social feed including this operational update:
“Our airport will cease commercial operations on Wednesday morning, in advance of Hurricane Milton. This move was made in coordination with our partners. We will resume commercial operations as soon as it is safe.”
Operational Update/3 – Hurricane Milton
Our airport will cease commercial operations on Wednesday morning, in advance of Hurricane Milton. This move was made in coordination with our partners. We will resume commercial operations as soon as it is safe.
➡️ https://t.co/VAiO6KFJfY pic.twitter.com/3VwhV4MVvm— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) October 7, 2024
Act quickly
If your flight is canceled or you’re planning to fly to the west coast of Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday, take advantage of the travel waivers and change your ticket now. Travelers should do this as soon as possible since planes are still going out relatively full. Just yesterday (October 6), TSA officers screened 2,830,190 people at airport checkpoints nationwide. Five years ago (pre-pandemic) on the same day, that number was just 2,542,118.
If you’re going to change your flight to a different day, do it now since there might not be many open seats.
TIP: Be very careful if you Google an airline’s phone number since scammers have found a way to provide unsuspecting people with the wrong numbers. If you don’t know about this scam, read this story: Traveler exposes scammer’s trick for stealing airline passengers’ money
KEEP READING
–How to make sure the TSA Precheck checkmark is on your boarding pass
–Did you know your electronic devices should always be charged when going through security?
–10 airport security hacks every traveler needs to know
–Mom shares hilarious reason she’s not getting TSA Precheck anytime soon
–How to get a full bottle of water through airport security
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