Hurricane Helene travel impacts: Flight cancellations as storm leaves trail of destruction

Much of the Southeast was walloped by Hurricane Helene late Thursday night through Friday, after the storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in northwestern Florida shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday night.

The storm quickly moved north leaving a wide swath of destruction, with flooding across much of Florida's Gulf Coast, North Carolina and Georgia. At least 22 people were confirmed dead by early Friday afternoon.

Related: Florida declares state of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Helene — here's what you need to know

With impacts and damage across much of the Southeast, travel operators have made changes around safety hazards and damage. Here's what you need to know.

What airlines and airports are affected?

The impact on flights was less severe than it could have been, with the timing of the storm's landfall and northerly track avoiding some of the busiest times for takeoffs and landings. About 941 flights to, from and within the U.S. were canceled as of 1:45 p.m. Friday, according to FlightAware.

After closing on Thursday as effects from the storm were felt ahead of the official landfall, Tampa International Airport (TPA) reopened on Friday after reporting that it did not sustain significant damage. Other airports that had closed on Thursday, including St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) — where Allegiant Air operates commercial flights — were also open on Friday. About a third of TPA's departing flights were canceled, along with about 10% of inbound flights.

Although Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) lay directly in the storm's path, the timing of the storm's movements kept disruptions to a minimum. Just shy of 80 flights from ATL were canceled by 1:45 p.m. Friday, or 6% of those scheduled, while another 92 inbound flights — or 7% — were also canceled.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), however, was impacted more significantly than forecasts had suggested, after Helane's strong eastern edge spun through the region. About 190 departing flights — 21% — and 205 inbound flights — 23% — were canceled as of Friday afternoon, while several hundred more were delayed.

Delta issued a travel waiver for passengers scheduled to fly to, from or through ATL on Friday, Sept. 27; the waiver allows them to rebook travel for Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 without paying a difference in fares. The new flight must be booked and occur by Oct. 1.

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The airline issued a broader waiver for travel to or from airports across much of the forecasted path, including ones in cities in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mexico and Cuba. That waiver applies to travelers scheduled to fly Sept. 25 to 27. Travel must be rebooked and occur by Oct. 4.

Other airlines issued similar waivers ahead of the storm. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue each offered various waivers for travel scheduled between Wednesday and Friday, as did Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant.

Even as the storm passes, if you're scheduled to fly over the next few days, make sure you check your reservation and check in with your airline to understand your options.

Will it affect cruise line operations?

Port Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville cruise ports are currently closed. Additionally, some cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Margaritaville at Sea and Carnival Cruise Line — have altered their itineraries due to the hurricane. Cruise ship departures from PortMiami and Port Canaveral cruise ports are delayed. Additionally, ships currently at sea and set to return to Tampa and Jacksonville cruise ports will return later than scheduled.

Cruisers who plan to depart from those two ports over the next few days should call their cruise line for updates on Hurricane Helene's potential impact on their itinerary.

Any impact on theme parks?

Some parks in the Orlando and Tampa areas — including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Universal's Volcano Bay water park — have decided to close on Thursday.

At Disney World, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and its miniature golf courses are closed on Thursday. Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is also canceled for Thursday night, with Magic Kingdom park hours extending from 6 to 8 p.m. for regular guests. Disney Halloween Party tickets are being refunded.

At Universal Orlando, Thursday night's Halloween Horror Nights event is also canceled. Those with tickets dated for that event Thursday night can have them honored for a different night through Sunday, Sept. 29.

Legoland Florida Resort and SeaWorld Orlando are currently operating as normal.

Related: Disney world cared for thousands of guests during a recent storm: Here's how the theme park handled the hurricane

Is it safe to travel to Florida and Georgia?

If you have an upcoming trip to Florida or Georgia scheduled, stay ahead of the developments in your specific area. It might be best to rearrange travel.

Airlines have issued travel alerts offering free changes and more flexibility, so if you have flights booked Thursday or Friday, it may make sense to rebook for a later time or cancel altogether. Florida declared a state of emergency for 41 of the state's 67 counties; Georgia has also declared a state of emergency in parts of that state.

Tropical storm warnings are in place for much of Atlanta. If the storm ends up making a big impact there, it could mess up flights across the country since ATL is a massive hub.

Bottom line

If you have travel booked in the next few days, you should pay special attention to airport delays and cancellations as a big hurricane can impact travel across the country. If you have plans to travel to Georgia or Florida, it might be best to reschedule or cancel altogether. If you are traveling to a destination that could potentially be affected, you should make alternative plans now.

Airlines have activated more flexible change and cancellation rules. If you booked a trip with a credit card that provides some built-in trip insurance, look at the terms of those benefits to learn what expenses you may be able to recoup in the event of any nonrefundable charges.

Although this goes without saying, you should not travel to any hurricane-impacted part of a state where officials have told people to stay off the roads.

We will continue to update this developing story as the storm progresses.

For more helpful tips on navigating travel during hurricane season, read:

• Top travel mistakes to avoid during hurricane season
• Hurricane season is here: TPG's storm guide for travelers
• Cruising during hurricane season: What to know — and should you go?
• Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?
• Is travel insurance worth it?
• Flight canceled or delayed? Here's what to do next