As Hurricane Maria tears through the Caribbean, airlines have canceled flights and are urging customers to check their flight status and consider changing their travel plans for the next week.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines’ operations in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas have been disrupted. The carrier said it plans to restart operations at those airports Thursday, but that’s dependent on the scale of the damage.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, Delta's flights to and from Mexico City were disrupted by the earthquake that struck central Mexico on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the airline worked to resume operations there.
Delta is waiving change fees for passengers with flights booked to, from or through San Juan, Puerto Rico or Punta Cana, Santiago or Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic from Sept. 19 to 26 who want to change their travel plans. The airline also capped fares at $199 one-way for nonstop flights departing those airports through Sept. 21.
The airline said it plans to restart flights to St. Maarten on Saturday depending on the status of facilities after hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Separately, the airline plans to restart limited service to Key West Airport on Wednesday, which has been closed since Hurricane Irma.
Southwest Airlines, the second-largest carrier at Hartsfield-Jackson, canceled flights to and from San Juan and Punta Cana for Wednesday and Thursday.
Dallas-based Southwest is also allowing customers with flights booked to or from San Juan or Punta Cana through Sept. 26 to change their travel plans without paying an additional charge.
Mexico City International Airport closed Tuesday after the magnitude 7.1 quake and the terminal was evacuated, according to Delta.
Delta’s fights that were en route to Mexico City at the time of the earthquake were diverted.
The airline said its flights to and from Mexico City were resuming Wednesday after an evaluation of airport facilities and infrastructure.
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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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