US airlines have added flights to evacuate residents and tourists from Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton, which is set to slam into the west coast of Florida later in the day.
Chicago-based United Airlines said on 9 October that it had capped fares and flown in supplies to the region, including water, non-perishable food, tarpaulins and duct tape, and has secured equipment and ground vehicles.
“United added 18 extra Florida flights and larger aircraft on four additional flights on Monday and Tuesday to serve as many customers as possible,” the carrier says. “United has booked 25,000 customers on those flights, including 2,750 on extra flights. All United flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota are full for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.”
American Airlines adds that it, too, has added flights to help transport people away from the path of the storm.
“American is adding an additional 2,000 seats departing from Orlando this evening,” the Fort Worth-based carrier said late on 8 October. “That’s in addition to the 2,000 extra seats we had departing from Tampa and Sarasota yesterday.”
American Airlines says by the evening of 8 October it will have suspended operations at six Florida airports.
Tampa International airport, on Florida’s west coast, ceased operations on the morning of 8 October and remains closed until it is safe to reopen. It faced criticism for shutting down just as thousands of people were attempting to flee the region.
“TPA’s decision to close ahead of Hurricane Milton was not made lightly and was due to multiple factors at the time of the announcement, including the storm track, the projected severity of impacts, the latest forecast timing and input from [the National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration],” the airport wrote on social media.
“The safety of our passengers, employees and the airport facilities is always our primary concern,” the airport says. Securing equipment such as jet bridges requires time, it adds.
“Our goal is to reopen [the airport] ASAP following a damage assessment after Hurricane Milton passes. Our efforts to secure the airport ahead of the storm will help us be prepared to reopen as quickly as possible.”
Sarasota Bradenton International airport, which now appears to be in the direct line of the storm, closed at 16:00 local time on 8 October. Orlando International airport, in central Florida, will close at 08:00 on 9 October,
Secondary airports in the region are also shutting down completely ahead of the storm. Daytona Beach International airport, on Florida’s east coast, says on social media that it will cease flights at 10:00 on 9 October, while Melbourne Orlando International airport will close at 14:00 and reopen on 11 October.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says in its latest update that Hurricane Milton, whose maximum sustained winds were measured at 140kt (256km/h) early on 9 October, remains “extremely dangerous”. NHC expects “a large area of destructive storm surge” as well as heavy rainfall that could bear “the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding” in addition to “devastating hurricane-force winds” across the Florida peninsula.
The hurricane is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast near Sarasota late on 9 October.
Residents in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee are still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, a tropical cyclone that devastated the region late last month
