20 flights canceled at RDU, Florida delays cause ripple effect

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Florida airports in Ian’s path, including Jacksonville International Airport, were closed Wednesday, adding more flight delays and cancelations across the country.

At Raleigh-Durham International, 20 flights were canceled, many for trips coming to and from Orlando and Tampa. Many people traveled through RDU earlier this week to escape Ian, which made landfall near Fort Myers on Wednesday afternoon with 155 mph winds.

Jacksonville International Airport is the latest to cancel all flights and shut down all operations.

Flightaware data shows more than 21,000 U.S. flight cancelations and just over 3,000 delays nationwide.

About 2,000 Thursday flights had already been canceled. Orlando, Miami, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale airports were the top four trouble spots.

A travel expert from Travel Mechanic said the cancelations will cause a ripple effect on your destination, especially at RDU, even if you don’t have a flight to Florida.

“If airlines have to rebook passengers, they’re going to do it as soon as possible. So if you’re traveling and it’s a coincidence that you are traveling when everyone’s getting rebooked, flights are going to be crowded and people are going to be on standby,” the expert said.

Travelers should avoid trying to test their luck if attempting to still get to Florida. It’s best just to wait out the rest of the storm, the expert recommends.

Her advise is to invest in travel insurance, your best protection when traveling during hurricane season.