Hurricane Ian forces airlines to ax west Florida flights

Key Florida airports on Tuesday well prepared to halt flights ahead of Hurricane Ian’s envisioned landfall overnight.

Orlando International Airport stated it would suspend operations at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Tampa Intercontinental Airport said it would suspend functions at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

The Walt Disney Company and Comcast’s Common Studios also reported they will close their Orlando-based mostly concept parks for at least two days.

The Classification 3 storm is anticipated to make landfall on the state’s Gulf Coastline early Wednesday.

Delta, Southwest, American, United, Spirit and JetBlue explained they are waiving flight modify expenses or fare variances for tourists afflicted by the storm at airports all over Florida.

Officials at Southwest Florida Worldwide Airport, which serves the Fort Myers area, are expecting flight cancellations late Tuesday and through Wednesday. They will keep a connect with with carriers and the Federal Aviation Administration at 1 p.m. Tuesday to focus on subsequent steps as Hurricane Ian ways.

Southwest mentioned that it is suspending functions Tuesday evening through Thursday in Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

Airlines generally go their planes out of a storm’s path in advance of its arrival and cancel various flights to steer clear of stranding passengers and crews.

— CNBC’s Sarah Whitten contributed to this post.

Disclosure: Comcast is the mum or dad business of NBCUniversal and CNBC.