Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Transportation snarls caused by shooting likely to spill over into weekend.
Transportation officials are ready to keep the public updated this weekend on how Friday’s mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will affect travel across South Florida.
Flight operations at the airport remained suspended late Friday, but Mark Gale, the airport’s director, pledged to keep the public updated via the airport’s website and social media accounts. He said the airport would remain closed until authorities could “methodically” look through the buildings.
“We’re going to work with all the law enforcement that’s here, our airlines and all the other agencies before we actually move to reopen up the airport,” Gale said.
People seeking information about any relatives or friends affected by the shooting may call the Broward County Call Cen- ter, toll free, at 866-435-9355 or 954-831-4000, Broward of- ficials said.
Travelers with flights planned this weekend are urged to phone their air carriers for updates. The telephone numbers for airlines with canceled, arriving or departing flights:
Air Canada, 888-247-2262; Alaska Airlines, 1-800-654-5669; Allegiant Air, 702-505-8888; American Airlines, 800-433-7300; Azul Airlines, 844-499-2985; Bahamasair, 800-222-4262; Delta Airlines, 800-221-1212; Emirates, 800-777-3999; Jet Blue, 800-538-2583; Norweigian Air Shuttle, 800-357-4159; Silver Airways, 844-674-5837; Spirit Airlines, 801-401-2222; Southwest Airlines, 800-435-9792; United Airlines, 800-864-8331; Virgin America, 877-359-8474; and WestJet Airlines, 888-937-8538
With services suspended at the airport, flights were diverted to other airports in South Florida, including those in Miami, West Palm Beach and Orlando, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Travelers waited for hours Friday on the tarmac of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, as traffic jams snarled the region.
Port Everglades briefly closed but reopened. Two ships, Harmony of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas, were expected to arrive Saturday in Fort Lauderdale at their scheduled times, Royal Caribbean officials said. Carnival Cruise line has one ship scheduled to turn around at Port Everglades on Saturday, spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said by email.
“We are planning to send out an email to those we know are scheduled to fly into FLL [Saturday] to board that ship to encourage them to keep in contact with their airline for updates,” she said. “We will continue to monitor the situation.” In total, Broward officials said six cruise ships and a ferry are scheduled to depart Saturday afternoon.
Airbnb, the website that matches home and condo owners with paying guests, has offered to assist travelers impacted by the shooting by helping them connect with local Airbnb hosts who are opening up their homes free of charge, said Airbnb Spokesman Nick Shapiro.
Because of ongoing travel disruptions, Airbnb has offered to help travelers from Friday until Monday, he said.
Travelers looking for a free place to stay can connect with hosts through the Airbnb disaster response tool at www.airbnb.com/ disaster/ftlauderdale.