Hurricane Milton: Airline Flight Cancellations Surge

DALLAS — Air travel in Florida faces significant disruptions as airlines and airports respond to Hurricane Milton. Tampa International Airport (TPA) has been hit the hardest, with 80% of its flights canceled yesterday. 

As airports proactively close, airlines have already announced additional cancellations for the coming days. While Thursday is expected to see further disruptions, Friday's flights remain primarily unaffected.

The information below comes from Cirium and shows yesterday's cancellations and prospective cancellations by day and airport, followed by most affected airlines.

Current State of Cancellations

On October 8, TPA had the highest percentage of cancellations, at 80.88%, followed by Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), with 27.63%, and Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), 62.50%. 

Moving into October 9, cancellations surged, particularly at Orlando Sanford, where 100% of flights were canceled, and St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE), where 93.75% of flights were grounded. RSW saw 83.54% of its flights canceled, while TPA experienced 79.81%.

By October 10, Orlando International (MCO) saw its cancellation rate rise to 19.53%, while Sarasota Bradenton (SRQ) recorded a cancellation rate of 21.57%, and RSW reached 35.35%. TPA, however, had fewer cancellations at 24.60%. 

On October 11, the impact of the cancellations was less severe, with most airports seeing minimal disruptions. Only RSW had a notable cancellation rate of 4.04%, while most others had under 3% canceled.

Impact on Major Airlines

The ongoing cancellations have impacted Southwest Airlines (WN), Delta Air Lines (DL), and American Airlines (AA) the most. With 838 flights scheduled between today and October 11, WN has canceled 19% of its flights. 

On the other hand, DL has been hit much harder, with 51% of its 506 flights canceled. AA has also experienced significant disruptions, canceling 33% of its 436 scheduled flights.

Air travelers are advised to stay updated as more cancellations are expected in the coming days. Airways hopes that Hurricane Milton has a limited impact on the life and well-being of all Floridians.