Is Hurricane Helene aftermath slowing Florida travel? The latest on flights, airports
Tampa International Airport reopened on Friday morning as Hurricane Helene moved on to Georgia and North Carolina, and Florida started assessing storm damage.
The Sunshine State’s fourth busiest airport said it was “fully open and operational” for commercial and cargo flights as of 9:30 a.m.
The Tampa airport closed at 2 a.m. Thursday, a day before Hurricane Helene hit Florida’s Big Bend and assaulted the rest of the Gulf Coast. The airport’s operations staff “conducted damage assessments early Friday morning and determined [Tampa International Airport] did not sustain any significant damage from the storm,” according to a statement.
Tampa International Airport “has fared well through this large and dangerous storm,” CEO Joe Lopano said in a statement. “We now can turn our attention to serving our community and travelers and assisting in efforts to help our fellow Floridians recover from Helene.”
Some retail shops and restaurants likely won’t open until later in the day, the airport cautioned, so travelers should prepare for that: Bring your own food and toiletries. But TSA security checkpoints, parking facilities, the SkyConnect train, the rental car center and other services are now open.
Tampa’s airport also recommended on Friday that travelers arrive at least two hours before their scheduled departure as “high passenger volumes [are] expected.”
Helene hit Florida’s Gulf Coast just after 11 p.m. Thursday night, making landfall in Taylor County. Reports show inundated streets and flooded homes along the Gulf Coast – from Fort Myers Beach to Sarasota, St. Petersburg and Tampa.
SEE: Hurricane Helene did that to Florida? Look at what happened in these photos and videos
On Friday morning, Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm as it hit the country’s southeast.
Here’s how the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is affecting South Florida travel:
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport continued to stay open although it continued to see some impact from the storm.
On Thursday, 92 flights were canceled. On Friday morning, the airport had 21 cancellations, mostly to other cities in Florida and the Southeast, said Greg Chin, communications director for Miami-Dade Aviation Department. “Today’s total may be similar to yesterday’s number as the storm impacts Atlanta and other airports in the Southeast,” he said Friday.
MIA’s largest carrier, American Airlines, said it resumed flights on Friday morning to airports in Key West, Fort Myers, Sarasota and Tampa. And later in the day, the airline planned to return to normal operations at Tallahassee, Gainesville and Jacksonville, said Gianna Urgo, a spokesperson for American. But north of Florida, the airline reduced operations at the airport in Charlotte and suspended operations in Augusta.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport expects a total of 19 canceled flights and 9 delayed flights as of 9:40 a.m. Friday, said spokesperson Paris Tyburski. Flights were canceled for Atlanta and Charlotte and delayed for Denver and San Diego.
This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 12:52 PM.