by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:29 AM ET, Thu September 13, 2018
Update: September 16, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. ET
As Florence continues its downpour on the Carolinas Sunday morning, some airports have started to resume their commercial flights, though most aren't expected to return to full-schedule until after the weekend.
At Charleston International Airport, Delta began resuming a limited amount of flights on Saturday. The majority of airlines are expected to resume on Sunday, with the hope of returning to near-normal operations by Monday.
At South Carolina's Myrtle Beach airport, flights are also expected to resume sometime Sunday, though a full schedule isn't likely until Monday.
Per USA Today, more than 3,375 flights in total have been canceled throughout the nation since Wednesday, with most of those in Charlotte. Big carrier Southwest Airlines said they will begin their operations from Charlotte starting Sunday.
Air-travel outlook is looking better as cancellations kept dropping from 904 on Friday, 871 on Saturday, to just over 539 on Sunday.
Update: September 15, 2018 at 1:40 p.m. ET
As Florence continues barrelling into the Carolinas, USA Today reports the number of flight cancellations has soared to more than 3,050 since Wednesday.
Within a span of three hours, cancellations increased from just 300 to 800. Airlines were hopeful to resume service Saturday or Sunday, but it's looking more and more like operations will be pushed back another day as more than 380 flights have already been canceled for Sunday.
Florence is expected to weaken and move out of the region by Sunday night, but a few airlines have taken preemptive measures as 21 flights have already been canceled for Monday.
Per TPG, Charleston International Airport (CHS), who sees the most traffic along the coast of the Carolinas, reopened at 12:10 p.m. ET. With an already high number of 422 cancellations, CHS was ideally hoping to resume some flights Saturday, but airport officials are now saying Sunday.
A few airports in the affected area have remained open despite all commercial flights being canceled; while eight are still shut down completely. As Florence moves out of the region, most can be expected to reopen over the next few days
Update: September 14, 2018 at 4:55 p.m. ET
Hurricane Florence continues to snarl travel in the Carolinas and parts of surrounding states.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware.com reports hundreds of flight cancellations at airports in the region Friday, including over 450 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport alone.
Hilton also released a statement Friday, saying it was monitoring the storm's impact and waiving modification and cancellation penalties for affected guests.
"Hilton properties located in mandatory evacuation zones in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have evacuated to meet local requirements. Other properties within the storm's projected path that remain open and operational have implemented their emergency preparedness plans. We are in regular contact with local authorities and our tourism partners as we continue to monitor the impact of Hurricane Florence," the company said.
"For guests whose travel plans may be affected by Hurricane Florence, modification and cancellation penalties may be waived for stays with arrivals Tuesday, September 11, through Monday, September 17, regardless of travel destination. Guests are encouraged to visit Hilton.com or contact 1-800-HILTONS for the latest information on specific properties."
Florence is expected to affect parts of the Southeast well into the weekend.
"People must remain out of evacuated coastal areas, perhaps for days, until instructed by officials," said Weather Channel Hurricane Expert Dr. Rick Knabb in a statement. "The dangers of flooding, strong winds, tornadoes and power outages will spread even farther inland throughout the Carolinas and portions of Virginia through this weekend, and people are urged to stay off the roads where most inland fatalities occur."
Update: September 14, 2018 at 1:10 p.m. ET
Despite the impact of Hurricane Florence on North Carolina, officials at Charlotte Douglas International Airport said Friday the facility has no intention of closing despite over 100 flight cancellations.
In total, over 824 flights were cancelled from U.S. airports Friday and another 950 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.com.
Update: September 14, 2018 at 9:10 a.m. ET
As Hurricane Florence made landfall in the Carolinas Friday morning, the storm brought winds at speeds of 90 miles per hour, a massive storm surge and up to 40 inches of rain in some areas that could cause "life-threatening, catastrophic flash flooding."
According to FlightAware.com, over 2,000 total flights have been canceled through Sunday, with more than 1,000 flights canceled Friday and Saturday alone. Most of the delays and cancellations were from airports in North and South Carolina.
Many airports have closed or shut down flights Friday as the storm impacted the region. Some of the facilities that shut down service include Charleston International Airport,Myrtle Beach International Airport and Wilmington International Airport.
Flights at the aforementioned airports are expected to continue Saturday, barring any damage to the facilities.
Update: September 13, 2018 at 10:25 p.m. ET
Hurricane Florence remains a Category 2 storm as it begins to devastate North Carolina.
According to The Washington Post, Florence already dumped up to 12 inches of rain in some areas and wind speeds have been recorded at 105 miles per hour. Coastal towns are seeing massive sea surges and rivers inland are beginning to overflow.
In addition to the flight cancellations in the United States, the impact of Hurricane Isaac on the Caribbean has caused several airlines to issue travel advisories and waive change fees for flights to islands in the region.
Carriers such as American Airlines, British Airways and Delta Air Lines are offering customers the chance to rebook flights to Caribbean destinations, including Antigua, the Dominican Republic and St. Kitts.
Update: September 13, 2018 at 3:55 p.m. ET
The bands of rain and wind from Hurricane Florence are starting to lash against the coast of the Carolinas and are expected to intensify throughout Thursday into Friday.
According to The Washington Post, the wind, rain and ocean surge from the Category 2 hurricane will continue to intensify as the center of the storm makes its way toward North Carolina, where it is expected to make landfall Friday.
Forecasters believe storm surge will reach 9-13 feet and 40 inches of rain could fall in the areas hit the hardest. The National Weather Service reported Wednesday that waves were recorded reaching heights of 83 feet.
The Weather Channel broke down the danger of the storm surges on Twitter:
As for how the storm continues to impact travel, FlightAware.com revealed that over 1,400 flights have now been canceled in the United States through Saturday as a result of the storm. More delays and cancellations are expected.
U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his support for impacted Americans and ABC News shared a video of the high winds heading toward the East Coast:
Original Text
Florence was officially downgraded to a still-deadly Category 2 hurricane, but the storm is still expected to bring flash floods, storm surge, high winds and heavy rain as it makes its way toward the East Coast of the United States Thursday.
According to ABCNews.com, the National Hurricane Center said Florence was moving northwest at about 12 miles per hour and located 170 miles southeast of North Carolina and about 220 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach.
Forecasters are warning of dangerous storm surge, which could reach 13 feet on parts of the Carolina coast. The effects of the storm will begin being felt Thursday night as rain and high winds begin to impact North and South Carolina.
Areas to the north and south of the Carolinas will also feel the impact of the massive storm.
The hurricane is expected to stall along the coast through Friday, which could result in as much as 30 inches of rain being dumped on both Carolinas before moving over the Appalachian Mountains. Flash flooding and possible tornadoes are expected in Virginia and eastern North Carolina.
In total, over 5.25 million people live in areas under hurricane warnings or watches and another 4.9 million people are under tropical storm warnings or watches.
As for Hurricane Florence's impact on travel, airlines have already announced thousands of cancellations through the weekend. Many carriers have issued travel advisories and are waiving change fees, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.
Impacted passengers are being advised to reach out to their carriers and travel agents to determine the proper course of action over the coming days. According to FlightAware.com, airlines have already canceled over 1,000 flights through Friday and more are expected through the weekend.
Cruise passengers are also being impacted by Florence, with Carnival Cruise Line being forced to revise itineraries for Carnival Pride and Carnival Horizon. In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line changed its plans for Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Escape and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line modified the sailing of Grandeur of the Seas.
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