Skift Take
Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Harvey are taking a great human toll throughout the Caribbean and the United States, as has the earthquake in Mexico. Here's how the travel industry is responding.
Skift is providing live updates on how Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Jose, and related developments are impacting the travel industry and travelers throughout the Caribbean and the United States. All times are Eastern Standard Time.
Sept. 12, 9:15 p.m.
American and JetBlue Begin to Restart Operations in Florida
Two major airlines in Florida and the Caribbean — JetBlue Airways and American Airlines — started limited Florida operations on Tuesday, spokesmen for the carriers said.
American said it re-started "limited" flights from its Miami hub, with the first arrival from Seattle landing at 7:02 a.m. American's first departure was a flight to Las Vegas, airborne at 9:17 a.m. American had flown two aircraft to Miami on Monday, but they were relief flights and did not carry fare-paying passengers.
In all, American restarted limited flying to seven airports in the Southeast United States on Tuesday, including to Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville and West Palm Beach. More airports in Florida and the Caribbean were to come online on Wednesday, including Havana, Sarasota and Tampa.
American is hoping its operation will be almost normal by Friday. American said it had canceled 780 flights on Tuesday and 175 on Wednesday, mainly in the Caribbean and Florida. As of Tuesday, it had proactively canceled only five Saturday flights.
JetBlue Airways, with robust Florida operations and a focus city in Fort Lauderdale, said it operated limited Florida flights on Tuesday. It said in a statement it planned to "work up to our full schedule in Florida by end of week." However, it warned it might have to cancel further flights, "as infrastructure is evaluated."
JetBlue said Tuesday it had canceled 450 flights between Tuesday and Friday. Before it can start its full schedule, it also must move crews and aircraft back to Florida.
JetBlue is selling remaining Florida-bound seats through Sept. 18 at $99 for nonstop itineraries and $159 for connecting flights.
September 12, 6:25 p.m.
Florida Keys Can't Handle Visitors For Now
Florida Keys and Key West tourism officials requested that tourists postpone any "near-terms plans to vacation in the island chain."
Residents and business owners got to nod to return to the Upper Keys today.
The re-opening of the Keys to vacationers will be uneven, with some areas ready before others, officials said. Key West is expected to be open by Fantasy Fest, which this year is slated to kick off October 20.
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