American Airlines has added extra flights to assist Florida residents evacuating ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall midweek.
The airline announced it will suspend operations at several Florida airports on Tuesday evening due to airport closures.
American Airlines said it would operate additional flights with over 4,000 seats from Orlando, Tampa and Sarasota late Monday and Tuesday to allow customers to evacuate by air.
Operations will be suspended at Orlando International Airport, Southwest Florida International Airport, Daytona Beach International Airport and Melbourne Orlando International Airport on Tuesday evening.
The airline had already suspended operations at Tampa International Airport and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
American Airlines stated it was evaluating operations at other airports in the region, including its Miami International Airport hub, based on the latest weather forecasts.
The company said it would operate multiple additional flights with more than 2,000 seats from Orlando on Tuesday evening to destinations including Philadelphia, Charlotte, Washington D.C., Miami, Chicago, and Dallas.
On Monday and early Tuesday, American Airlines added over 2,000 seats on flights departing from Tampa and Sarasota to cities such as Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix and Washington D.C.
Customers can book these extra flights by contacting American Airlines Reservations.
The airline said passengers booked on the additional flights would be allowed two free checked bags.
American Airlines also issued a travel alert for 12 airports in Florida, allowing customers impacted by Hurricane Milton to rebook without change fees.
The company proactively capped fares for all direct flights departing from airports covered by the travel alert.
Customers can reschedule their travel online, through the American Airlines app or by contacting Reservations.
American Airlines said it would continue monitoring Hurricane Milton with customers’ and team members’ safety as the top priority.
