Airlines begin issuing alerts as storm targets Florida

This story was updated at 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

A week after Hurricane Helene brought death and destruction across the Southeast, another potentially dangerous storm is heading toward the Sunshine State.

Tropical Storm Milton, currently moving northeast at 5 mph across the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 50 mph, is heading toward the west coast of Florida and is expected to make landfall in mid weekday as a Category 2 or 3 hurricane.

“Milton is expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by midweek,” says the 5 a.m. ET advisory from the National Oceanic Hurricane Center and Atmospheric Administration. “Milton is expected to become a hurricane this evening, and it may become a major hurricane as it moves through the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico.

“This is a rapidly evolving situation,” said Bob Smerbeck, Accuweather senior meteorologist. “The depth of the warm water is quite deep, so a lot of octane awaits Milton as it crosses the southern Gulf of Mexico.”

The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer refunds to their customers if their flights are canceled or significantly delayed for reasons beyond the airline’s control. But this rule does not apply to weather-related delays and cancellations.

Tropical Storm Milton: Air Travel Advisory

Before the storm made landfall, a major U.S. airline had already issued travel waivers allowing passengers flying into or out of affected airports to change their reservations without paying the fare difference. For consumers looking to change their travel plans or recoup their travel costs, much will depend on the airline, the route, and in some cases whether they purchase a travel insurance policy.

United Airlines has issued a travel alert affecting five Florida airports. Passengers who purchased a plane ticket before Friday, October 4 for a flight traveling Monday through Thursday, October 7 through 10 to, from, or through any of the listed airports can rebook without a change fee for travel until Thursday October 17.

(Other airlines will issue alerts closer to the time the storm makes landfall.)

Tropical Storm Milton: How to avoid flight disruptions this week

Are you traveling this week? There are many things you can do to minimize the risk of getting bogged down by a delayed or canceled flight.

Most flight disruptions are caused by weather problems. Up to three days before your flight, you can get an idea of ​​potential problems by referring to NOAA’s National Forecast Map. Hover over Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 to see what to expect in terms of weather today, tomorrow, and the next day. It shows you at a glance where there will be rain, thunderstorms and other types of severe weather on the day of your trip.

Arming yourself with this information allows you to change dates or itineraries to develop a better scenario. You may be able to travel a day earlier or later, or change a connecting flight to avoid hot spots.

Even if you are not traveling through Florida this week, your flight could be impacted. Weather events in one part of the country can cause nationwide disruptions as airlines reuse their planes for multiple flights each day. Planes that are delayed on previous routes often do not arrive at their late departure airport on time. For example, a plane stuck in Orlando at 1 p.m. might not make it to Chicago for its 4:15 p.m. departure. There is a domino effect, where one delay leads to another.

If possible, book the flight as early in the day as possible to minimize the risk of disruption. Afternoon and evening flights are more likely to be delayed than early morning flights.

On the day of your flight, monitor your airline’s app for flight notifications. On the FlightAware flight tracking app, enter your flight information and click on your specific flight. Then click on “Where is my plane now?” link just below the flight number. You will be able to see if the plane is early, on time or late and you can act accordingly, often before the airline even announces a delay or cancellation.