Hurricane Helene leads to massive travel changes for airlines and cruises

Due to Hurricane Helene, airlines and cruise lines have issued a series of weather alerts to ensure travelers can safely avoid areas where the Category 2 storm is expected to hit.

Airlines and cruise lines with routes in the region began implementing preventive measures earlier this week and sent out further updates Thursday about the potential impact on travel routes as the storm approaches Florida and the Southeast.

The National Hurricane Center said “significant further strengthening is expected before landfall Thursday morning,” adding that there is “a risk of life-threatening storm surge along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Big Bend.”

A full list of affected airports, cruise ports and other areas can be found below.

Impact on air traffic ahead of Hurricane Helene: airport closures, airline changes

According to Flight Aware, nearly 900 flights across the country have already been canceled due to Helene, with the greatest impacts seen in Tampa, Fort Myers and Atlanta at the time of publication.

While all airlines are required by the U.S. Department of Transportation to offer customers a full refund if a flight is canceled or significantly delayed due to reasons within the airline’s control, this rule does not apply to weather-related delays or cancellations.

Airport closures in Florida

At the time of publication, three major airports in Florida have announced temporary closures due to the storm.

Tampa International Airport suspended all commercial and cargo operations at 2 a.m. Thursday and said it would remain closed to the public until any damage from the storm can be assessed.

Tallahassee International Airport and St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport were also closed. Officials at both airports said they would remain closed to the public until the hurricane damage assessment is complete.

Other regional airports, including Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City Beach, Orlando International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport, are currently open, but all travelers are advised to check with airlines directly for current flight status and additional information.

American Airlines

American has issued a travel advisory for the Gulf of Mexico, affecting 23 airports, 16 of which are in Florida, including Tampa and Sarasota.

Passengers who purchased tickets in any fare class before September 23 for travel between September 24 and 27 will not be charged a change fee. Changes must be booked by September 27 and the trip must have the same origin and destination.

Delta Air Lines

The Atlanta-based airline issued a weather warning for Hurricane Helene due to its forecast path, saying that “travel to/from/through” 26 destinations could be impacted.

“Check flight status regularly for up-to-date information on your flight plans, or get updates sent directly to your mobile device or email with the one-time notification,” the airline said.

At the time of publication, the warning applies to 12 airports in Florida, including Jacksonville, Sarasota and Tampa, as well as select airports in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mexico and Cuba.

Travelers flying through one of the 27 airports listed can rebook their tickets until Monday, September 30.

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue announced in a travel advisory that flights to several Florida destinations were canceled on Thursday and Friday: Tallahassee and Tampa due to airport closures, as well as Fort Myers. The airline also canceled all flights to Sarasota for Thursday.

All JetBlue flights to Orlando and Jacksonville, as well as Atlanta, Savannah and Charleston, are currently operating.

The airline said it will waive rebooking and cancellation fees, as well as fare differences, for customers traveling on September 26 and 27. Flights can be rebooked until Wednesday, October 2.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines issued the travel warning “due to forecast weather conditions,” which said the airline could experience “disruptions to scheduled service.”

It lists ten airports in Florida where scheduled flights may be disrupted through Friday, as well as Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, Nashville and Savannah.

United Airlines

The Chicago-based airline listed eight airports in Florida, as well as one in Cuba and three more in Mexico that would be affected.

Passengers who purchased a ticket before Monday, September 23, for travel from Tuesday to Friday, September 24-27, to, from or via any of the affected airports, may rebook for travel up to Friday, October 4, without a rebooking fee.

Border airlines

The low-cost airline issued a travel warning for passengers traveling to or from six airports in Florida on Thursday and Friday, September 26-27.

Royal Caribbean, Carnival and MSC Cruises change course and update itineraries

The Sunshine State and its ports are the center of the cruise industry, accounting for nearly 60% of all cruises in the U.S., according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Numerous cruise itineraries in the U.S. were impacted by Hurricane Helene.

One ship is currently stuck at sea, two others are skipping scheduled stops and several ports, including Port Canaveral, have been closed due to adverse weather conditions.

Royal Caribbean

According to a travel update from Royal Caribbean Group, the cruise line’s parent company, five shipping routes are affected.

Serenade of the Seas, which departed Tampa on Sunday, rescheduled its Tuesday and Wednesday stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya to Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas. The ship is now scheduled to return to Tampa on Sunday, two days later than originally planned, delaying the next scheduled voyage that was originally scheduled to depart on Friday.

“Due to Hurricane Helene and the planned closure of the Port of Tampa, our previous departure will be delayed,” the cruise line explained. “As a result, our departure will now be on Sunday, September 29th at 4:00 p.m. We ask that you arrive within the arrival window you originally selected for an on-time departure.”

Independence of the Seas departed Miami on Saturday, changing its scheduled stopover in Cozumel on Tuesday to Nassau in the Bahamas.

Mariner of the Seas, which departed Galveston, Texas, on Saturday, also traded Cozumel for a day at sea on Tuesday.

Wonder of the Seas will cancel most of its scheduled stops, skipping Cozumel, Roatan in Honduras and Costa Maya. The ship, which departed from Port Canaveral in Florida on Sunday, will instead make stops in St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Grandeur of the Seas will visit Nassau and Freeport instead of scheduled Wednesday and Thursday stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel. The cruise departed Tampa on Monday.

Carnival Cruises

Both the ports of Tampa and Jacksonville were closed Wednesday evening ahead of the expected landfall of Hurricane Helene.

“Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami continues to actively monitor Hurricane Helene, which is now entering the Gulf of Mexico,” the company’s website states. “The safety of our guests and crew remains our priority and our ships are sailing at a safe distance from the storm.”

Given Helene’s predicted route for the next few days, Carnival has announced that it is currently monitoring the routes of eight ships. Click here to find out all the details and planned changes.

Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Fantasy departed Port Canaveral on Saturday and canceled its Tuesday stay in George Town to replace it with a day at sea.

The Disney Wish is the only ship currently affected by the storm, a Disney Cruise Lines representative confirmed to ABC News.

The ship was originally scheduled to arrive Friday morning at the Port of Canaveral, which is currently “closed and has suspended all port operations.” The next departure was scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Now the Disney Wish will arrive later than originally planned, said the DCL representative.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

An earlier version of this story was originally published on September 27, 2024.