Airlines are advising passengers that services to Florida could be disrupted over the next few days as Hurricane Dorian approaches the Sunshine State.
The category five storm, the second strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, is currently battering the Bahamas with winds of up to 175mph and is expected to hit the US east coast later this week.
The states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have already called a state of emergency as Dorian approaches.
Airlines say they are closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Dorian although have held off from making cancellations so far.
British Airways said in a statement: “We are closely monitoring Hurricane Dorian, which is forecast to affect south-eastern parts of the US this week. As a result, there could be some disruption to our services in this area.
“Customers due to travel to or from this area with British Airways over the coming days should make sure their contact details are up to date in their booking, so we can let them know if their flight is disrupted.
“We are also offering flexible rebooking options for customers wishing to change their dates of travel as a result of the hurricane.”
Virgin Atlantic added: “We have been monitoring Hurricane Dorian’s movements closely and have been in close consultation with officials at Orlando International airport.
“We have now been advised that all airport operations will be reinstated for this week (1 September 2019 onwards). As such, Virgin Atlantic’s flight operations will continue to run as scheduled.”
Tui said flights to Orlando Sandford airport were “planned to operate as normal” but said it was “closely monitoring” the hurricane.
“Anyone due to travel to Florida before Friday 6 September can amend their holiday free of charge,” said the tour operator. “Due to the unpredictable nature of weather events such as hurricanes, we encourage customers to check our website for updates.”
Thomas Cook Airlines also said it planned to operate flights to Orlando on Monday (2 September) but would review flights due to operate from Tuesday onwards.
“This continues to be a very fluid situation – Hurricane Dorian has proven to be an unpredictable storm,” added Cook. “We will provide further updates as soon as possible.”
Cruise itineraries in the Florida and Caribbean area are also being disrupted by the approaching storm with PortMiami currently closed until at least Wednesday (4 September) and Port Canaveral also shut to inbound traffic.
Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement: “Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami is actively monitoring Hurricane Dorian’s potential impact.
“As the safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority, we will continue to keep an eye on the storm and factor in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, US Coast Guard and the local port authorities to provide timely updates as more information becomes available.”