Airlines warn of flight disruptions in Atlanta, Tampa as Hurricane Helene looms

ATLANTA – Airlines that service the world’s busiest airport warn that Hurricane Helene’s impending impacts this week will lead to disruptions not only in Atlanta but throughout the Southeast and are encouraging fliers to look for alternative travel days.

Delta, Southwest and others that have a significant presence in and out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) say they are working with customers to rebook flights in order to minimize disruptions.

Delta Air Lines said they are focusing on travel through ATL on Friday, Sept. 27 and are allowing passengers who want to rebook flights to do so by Oct. 1.

The airline says those who preemptively choose to cancel their trip will be issued a credit valid for one year from the date the ticket was first booked.

Southwest Airlines says it is preemptively allowing its passengers to alter plans who were scheduled to fly into and out of ATL on either Thursday or Friday.

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Other airports where operations could be impacted stretch from South Florida through the mid-Atlantic and include Orlando, Tampa, Savannah and Nashville.

Tampa International Airport said it is closing to the public on Thursday as all flights have already been canceled.  Orlando and Jacksonville airports remain operational, but officials say they are closely monitoring the storm.

Hartsfield-Jackson averages more than 250,000 passengers a day, with more than 2,100 daily arrivals and departures and serves as a connection hub for many flights.

FlightAware reported around 800 flights were delayed on Wednesday into and out of ATL, but the issues were triggered by a cold front and severe thunderstorms – not Helene, which isn’t expected to start impacting northern Georgia until late on Thursday.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for the entire Peach State in anticipation of Hurricane Helene’s impacts.

Forecast models indicate a widespread 3-5 inches of rain could fall across the metro area with winds that could gust greater than 50 mph.

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“We’ve seen through some of these storms the impact of what limbs and rocks and debris can do to somebody,” Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Director Chris Stallings said during a recent statewide briefing. “Unfortunately, the majority of our loss of life during these events are trees falling on cars.”

One of those storms that caused significant wind damage was Hurricane Irma in 2017.

The system moved into Georgia as a tropical storm, but its large wind field caused thousands of trees to fall and resulted in 1.5 million power outages across the state.

Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled due to Irma, but the airport remained open for passengers.

The worst of the weather is expected to move out of the Atlanta area by Saturday morning, leaving the entire weekend for airlines and passengers to try to get back on schedule.

Passengers who don’t alter plans before the impacts of Helene are felt are subject to changes caused by Mother Nature.

According to the Department of Transportation, if your flight is canceled due to the weather, you are required to be rebooked for free.

Following a weather cancelation, passengers who want to cancel their trip are entitled to a full refund, which includes bag fees, seat upgrades and other extras.