Ian Impacting Florida Travel, Airports & Airlines

Storm Tropical Ian, which is now developing in the western Caribbean, has evolved into a hurricane – maybe a Category 3 according to some experts – and is threatening the state of Florida.

Note that, this might affect travel to one of the country’s most popular tourist locations, including road trips, aircraft, and cruises. The storm is expected to spin up the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Cuba before heading towards Florida’s west coast.

It not only has the potential to disrupt travel along the entire coast from the Keys to Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tampa, and up to the Panhandle, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already declared a state of emergency for the entire state, owing to some models of Ian forecasting a 450-mile span from one side of the hurricane to the other.

This will have an impact on tourist destinations, as well as big population centers, especially inland cities like Orlando and the east coast of Florida, including the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area.

According to the aviation website The Points Guy, American, Delta, and United airlines have already issued travel advisories and will most likely follow up with information on how to reschedule or cancel flights, as well as a waiver on change costs.

“We are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Ian which is expected to impact parts of the Caribbean and Florida. The safety of our customers and team members is the airline’s No. 1 priority, and the team will remain in contact with those impacted,” American Airlines said in a statement to FOX 35 News in Florida. “Ahead of the storm, American issued a travel alert to provide additional flexibility for customers whose travel may be impacted by Tropical Storm Ian.”