11 a.m. Friday
Hurricane Matthew made a near-landfall approach to Florida’s central east coast in the early morning hours, just off the coast of Cape Canaveral between Melbourne, Fla., and Daytona Beach, according to Delta meteorologists tracking the path of the now category 3 storm.
The impact to coastal Florida airports has prompted roughly 200 Delta and Delta Connection cancellations to the region Friday with flights to Melbourne, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Gainesville and Jacksonville, Fla., canceled. Operations at Brunswick and Savannah, Ga., have also been scrubbed Friday.
Delta proactively canceled roughly 80 flights Saturday, primarily for airports in northeast Florida as well as the Georgia and South Carolina coastline.
At roughly 9 a.m. EST, sustained winds at Orlando International Airport were observed at more than 35 m.p.h. with gusts topping 50 m.p.h. Gusts in Melbourne, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, which are closer to the coast and more exposed to Matthew’s strength were observed above 70 m.p.h.
Flights resume at south Florida airports
As the storm tracks northward, paralleling the Florida coastline, operations at Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach have resumed. Delta flight 1746 from Atlanta to Miami arrived on time this morning just after 9 a.m. EST, with a similar story for West Palm Beach. Flights to Fort Lauderdale were delayed slightly this morning due to facility constraints.
Delta’s dedicated team of meteorologists will continue to monitor the storm and expect Matthew to reach Jacksonville, Fla., this evening and into southeast Georgia during the overnight hours.
Delta issued a severe weather travel waiver to allow customers flying to, from or through the storm’s path to make one-time changes to their reservations. The waiver was expanded to include airports as far north as Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Customers are encouraged to check for real-time flight status on delta.com or via the Fly Delta Mobile App.
Return to Delta News Hub for regular updates as the storm continues moving northward.
5 p.m. Thursday
Following evacuation orders by state officials in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, Delta expanded its drawdown of flights to and from affected airports along the Southeast U.S. beginning tonight through Saturday.
Cancellations for Friday grew to roughly 240 Delta and Delta Connection flights—up from 150—as a result of infrastructure, facility and staffing limitations. Additionally, Delta has canceled approximately 45 flights on Saturday, primarily in coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
Delta meteorologists keeping a close eye on the trajectory of Hurricane Matthew—now at category 4 strength — anticipate it will continue its northwest path, making a near-landfall approach at Melbourne, Fla., in the predawn hours Friday. From there, weather models show it will essentially skate up the coast at 15 mph toward Jacksonville, Fla., where it will pass Friday evening.
At Jacksonville, the storm is expected to begin a slow eastward arch into the Atlantic but not before Brunswick, Ga., Savannah, Ga. and Charleston, S.C., see the effects. Based on current projections, Hurricane Matthew will pass east of Charleston late Saturday morning.
In the meantime, Delta plans to restart operations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach early Friday morning with the first arrivals into those airports in the 9 a.m. hour. Plans to restart operations at airports throughout eastern Florida will be developed as conditions warrant based on information from airports, public officials and others.
Delta issued a severe weather travel waiver to allow customers flying to, from or through the storm’s path to make one-time changes to their reservations. The waiver was expanded to include airports as far north as Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Customers are encouraged to check for real-time flight status on Delta.com or via the Fly Delta Mobile App.
Return to Delta News Hub for regular updates as the storm continues moving northward.
11:30 a.m. Thursday
With Hurricane Matthew expected to regain strength to a category 4 storm as it approaches Florida, Delta has updated its operational plan to keep customers, flight crews and aircraft safely out of the storm’s path.
The airline on Wednesday announced it would shutter operations at Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on Thursday ahead of the storm, resulting in 130 total cancellations. By mid-morning Thursday, Delta cancelled about 150 additional mainline and Delta Connection flights for Friday to and from airports in Melbourne, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Gainesville and Jacksonville, Fla.
Additional cancellations for flights Saturday to coastal Georgia and South Carolina airports are expected.
Delta issued a severe weather travel waiver to allow customers flying to, from or through the storm’s path to make one-time changes to their reservations. The waiver was expanded to include airports as far north as Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Return to Delta News Hub for regular updates as the storm continues moving northward.
