Travel Starts Returning To Normal After Hurricane Irma — With A Few Hiccups

Image courtesy of Carnival

Now that Hurricane Irma has been downgraded to a tropical depression on its way north, travel operations in the southeast are starting to get people back in the skies and on the seas — though a few snarls remain.

A slew of airports in Florida shut down and cruise lines canceled trips as the storm raged through Florida, then moved up through Georgia and South Carolina.

By Air

Many of Florida’s major airports are now up and running, although cancellations and delays may continue for a few days. Before you go anywhere, however, you should definitely check in with your airline and confirm that your flight is scheduled to take off.

Miami International Airport resumed service on a “limited basis” at 7:06 a.m. this morning as an American Airlines flight from Seattle landed. The airport says however that it “expects about 30% of its usual number of flights” today, warning travelers that it could take until the weekend for airport operations to return to normal.

At Orlando International Airport, limited operations started again, with a Delta Air Lines flight rolling into the gate as the first post-Irma flight.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport also opened up again this morning on a limited flight schedule.

Again, the pain isn’t over just yet: According to flight-tracking site FlightAware.com, more than 2,800 flights have been grounded as of 11:45 a.m., mostly related to Irma. Thus far, 340 flights scheduled for Wednesday have also been canceled.

By Sea

As of Tuesday, Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean both delayed or canceled some trips due to unexpected conditions in the aftermath of Irma.

Carnival said it would have to push back sailings out of Miami from Tuesday to Wednesday, due to sunken sailboats in the channel leading to the port that have to be moved.

“Given the uncertainty, we have to further shorten our itineraries on Carnival Vista and Carnival Glory,” Carnival said in Facebook post.

Though some cruises have been pushed back, others have been canceled entirely, as noted in Carnival’s post.

RELATED: 3 Things You Should Do If Hurricane Irma Cancelled Your Cruise

Royal Caribbean also had to cancel certain cruises: Two because of the closure of the Miami port, while other cruises have been canceled so that the company can use the ships for humanitarian efforts in the Caribbean.

Disney Cruises said on Tuesday that it’s assessing its terminal building in Port Canaveral, and anticipates its Sept. 15 Dream cruise and Sept. 16 Disney Fantasy cruise will sail as planned.

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