Hurricane Dorian Forces Delta To Cancel 50+ Florida Flights

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines canceled 55 flights Monday and Tuesday after airports closed in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Melbourne and Daytona Beach, Florida, in advance of Hurricane Dorian. The Atlanta-based global airline has also issued a travel waiver for cities along the Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coast through next week following the latest forecast track data. The waivers for Florida and Coastal Georgia and the Carolinas allows travelers to change their itinerary without incurring a fee, as Hurricane Dorian approaches the U.S. A waiver for the Bahamas is in effect through Friday.

Several eastern Florida airports closed ahead of the storm, resulting in 55 flights cancelations Monday and Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Melbourne and Daytona Beach, Fla. Delta teams in the airline’s Operation and Customer Center in Atlanta continue to work closely with airport authorities and employees in southeastern cities.

Previously, the airline increased the number of flights offered last week for those looking to leave the area of potential impact, with 10,539 additional seats offered between Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Delta capped fares, temporarily waived baggage and pet-in-cabin fees and restricted unaccompanied minor travel to and from cities in the potential path of the storm.

Customers are encouraged to check their flight status on Delta.com or the Fly Delta Mobile App. Customers can also get updates sent directly to their mobile device or by email with One-Time Flight Notification.

Hurricane Dorian is still expected to move "dangerously close" to Georgia's coast later this week, with storm surge watches in effect for the state's Altamaha Sound in the Golden Isles. On Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center extended the hurricane and storm watches northward from Florida onto the Georgia coast.

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Georgia on Monday, and Gov. Brian Kemp was in Chatham County, urging residents to obey mandatory evacuations along the Georgia coast ahead of Dorian, now at category 4 strength.

"This storm is a big one," Kemp said Monday, "with powerful winds and expected storm surges of 3 to 6 feet. This is a huge storm we're facing." Dorian is expected to produce between 4 and 8 inches of rain along the Georgia coast.

Current NHC forecasts predict the hurricane will move close to Florida's east coast late Monday night through Wednesday, then move close to Georgia's and South Carolina's coasts on Wednesday night and Thursday. Maximum sustained winds are currently near 155 mph, and NHC forecasters say the storm is expected to remain powerful over the next few days. Regardless of Dorian's storm track, NHC forecasters are calling for life-threatening surges along Georgia's coast.

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