Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricane Irma disrupts countless travel plans
FORT LAUDERDALE — As Hurricane Irma moved closer to South Florida, airlines serving the region’s three main airports canceled or delayed more flights Wednesday and tourists started to search for alternate accommodations.
Cruise line operators quickly adjusted itineraries away from the storm’s path or canceled trips outright. For tourists and other visitors whose hotels are in evacuation zones, hoteliers and tourism bureaus offered information about lodging inland.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport had 27 cancellations and 108 delays by late Wednesday, spokesman Greg Meyer said.
At Miami International Airport, there were 26 canceled flights as of 3 p.m., including 15 departures on American Airlines, the airport’s busiest carrier.
Effective immediately, recreational vehicles, trailers or boats will not be allowed to park at the Miami airport due to the hurricane preparations, MIA spokesman Greg Chin said.
At Palm Beach International Airport, there were 38 flight delays listed shortly after 6 p.m., the majority for JetBlue Airways, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.com.
Aviation officials are reminding travelers to check with their respective airlines for up-to-date flight information before leaving for the airport.
Local airports are not designated as shelters in the event of emergencies such as hurricanes, so travelers need to make arrangements to stay elsewhere if they’re unable to fly out, officials said.
“Resources like food and water may also not be readily available in the airport during or after the storm,” MIA spokesman Chin said.
Local tourism bureaus are stepping in to help travelers find alternative accommodations in the event they have to evacuate hotels in high-risk areas or are stranded in South Florida.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau is providing a list of available hotels in western Broward on its website sunny.org. Online travel agency Expedia is also posting similar hotel availability data at Expedia.com/Florida.
In Palm Beach County, Discover The Palm Beaches, its tourism marketer is also providing room availability and rate information to travelers in need.
Major cruise operators are also canceling, adjusting or rescheduling cruises.
Miami-based Royal Caribbean International canceled three cruises: Enchantment of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas Bahamas cruises departing Friday and an Empress of the Seas cruise to Cuba scheduled for Saturday.
Royal Caribbean is also modifying departure dates and duration for select ships including Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas sailings from Port Everglades this weekend. Allure will now depart Wednesday on a four-night western Caribbean cruise instead of Sunday, and Harmony will leave Tuesday to the eastern Caribbean instead of Saturday.
Three additional sailings to the Caribbean region scheduled to depart from Saturday to Monday are being monitored, Royal Caribbean said.
Norwegian and Carnival took similar steps for ships scheduled to depart for the Caribbean from Miami and other Florida ports.
South Florida’s seaports including Port Everglades are expected to be at “Port Condition X-Ray” hurricane status starting noon today as sustained gale force winds of 39-54 miles per hour are expected over the region with 48 hours.
At PortMiami, vessels will begin departing at noon Friday as the port prepares to close Saturday at 8 a.m., Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Wednesday.