Matthew Prompts Travel Cancellations Across South Florida

As Hurricane Matthew looms, travel to and from South Florida began to slow down Tuesday as airlines canceled flights at local airports.

As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, there were at least 18 flights to the Caribbean canceled at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

At Miami International Airport, at least 24 flights were canceled.

Airport officials said late Tuesday they were monitoring Hurricane Matthew to determine if flights in and out of Miami International Airport will be affected Thursday and Friday.

Miami-Dade County was under a Tropical Storm warning. A Hurricane Warning was in effect in Broward County.

“The airport always remains open, but when sustained winds reach 55 mph the Federal Aviation Administration and Miami-Dade Aviation Department cease all operations in the tower,” said Suzy Trutie, spokesperson for Miami International Airport.

Airport officials encourage travelers to contact airlines before arriving at the terminal so that accommodations don’t become an issue during Hurricane Matthew.

“The airport is not a shelter. The airport is a business and if the hurricane conditions merit shelters being opened, passengers would be evacuated to a shelter,” Trutie said.

American Airlines announced Tuesday that it will waive the change fee for passengers traveling to and from Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Key West Regional Airport between Oct. 6 and 7.

Affected passengers, however, can not change the origin or destination city.

American Airlines canceled flight to and from M.I.A. to Haiti, Holguin and Camaguey, Cuba, Turks and Caicos, Kingston, Jamaica, Freeport, Georgetown and Nassau, Bahamas.

Cruise companies are also affected by Hurricane Matthew.

Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line have all rerouted some ships or modified the order of ports.

Royal Caribbean, however, has changed the date for at least one cruise sailing out of PortMiami.

The Empress of the Seas will now depart Friday instead of Thursday.

Port Canaveral has announced it will be closed by Wednesday afternoon.

That port says it has not shut down operations since 2004.