Airlines cancel flights in Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma

In preparation for Hurricane Irma's arrival in Florida, Delta Air Lines is canceling its flights in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach for Saturday.

The Atlanta-based airline said it will likely cancel its flights at those three Florida airports Sunday as well, pending updates from the airport authority. Those airports are expected to close Friday night.

Delta said Orlando’s passenger tram system may close due to high winds expected Sunday night.

Key West’s airport is expected to close at 8 p.m. Friday, according to the airline.

And Delta said St. Thomas and St. Maarten airports remain closed due to damage, and its flights there are canceled for Thursday and Friday, with more schedule changes possible dependent on the status of the airports.

The airline is also adding coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina to its list of cities where travel could be affected by Hurricane Irma, thus allowing people with flights booked through those airports to make a change to their travel schedules without paying certain fees.

Brunswick, Savannah and Charleston are now on Delta's list of airports that its change fee waiver applies to for travel Sept. 6-17.

Southwest Airlines is cancelling all flights through Sunday to and from Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach.

Dallas-based Southwest also said Thursday it will suspend flights to and from Orlando starting Saturday late afternoon “and will not resume until it’s safe to do so.”

The airline has also extended suspension of its service through Friday in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Flights to Nassau, the Bahamas and Havana, Cuba are canceled for Friday and Saturday.

JetBlue Offering Cheaper Flights for People Evacuating Hurricane Irma

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AJC Business reporter Kelly Yamanouchi keeps you updated on the latest news about Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Delta Air Lines and the airline industry in metro Atlanta and beyond. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

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