Monday is shaping up to be a frustrating day for air travelers, as Hurricane Debby made landfall on Florida’s northeastern coast as a category 1 storm with winds of 80 m.p.h. and heavy downpours. Authorities say feet of rainfall are possible from Florida to North Carolina.
The U.S. air travel system is already seeing the impact. As of 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, there are more than 1,600 flight cancellations and 3,500 delays in and out of U.S. airports for the day, according to FlightAware, a free app that provides flight tracking data. But based on an historical trend analysis, more cancellations will come closer to departure times.
Three of the “Big Four” U.S. airlines — American, Southwest and Delta — account for more than 760 flight cancellations and nearly 1,500 delays on Monday. The fourth, United Airlines, is less impacted.
At eight Florida airports, more than 20% of flights on Monday have been canceled. More than 200 flights have been canceled in and out of Orlando and Tampa airports collectively.
The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled or significantly delayed due to reasons within the airline’s control. But that rule does not pertain to weather-related delays and cancellations.
Hurricane Debby: Airline Travel Advisories
Major U.S. airlines are issuing travel waivers allowing passengers flying in or out of impacted airports to rebook without paying the fare difference. For consumers looking to change travel plans or recoup travel expenses, much will depend upon the airline, itinerary and, in some cases, whether a travel insurance policy was purchased.
American Airlines has issued two travel alerts impacting 15 airports in Florida and nine more up and down the east coast. Passengers who bought a plane ticket before August 3 for a flight traveling through Monday, August 5, to, from or through any of the listed airports may rebook without a change fee for travel through Thursday, August 8.
Delta Air Lines has a travel alert covering seven airports in Florida and one in Georgia. Affected travelers can rebook tickets on flights for travel by Thursday, August 8.
Southwest Airlines’ travel alert covers six airports in Florida and three in the Southeast. Passengers traveling through impacted airports have two weeks to rebook their flights at no charge.
United Airlines has issued multiple travel alerts for flights in and out of five airports in Florida and 17 additional airports on the east coast. Passengers booked for travel through any of the listed airports can rebook for free within a timeframe dependent on the airport.
Travel alerts issued by JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines cover seven and four airports, respectively.