Passengers given option to delay trips to US and Caribbean
Airlines are giving passengerse due to travel to parts of the Caribbean and the US the option to postpone their trips as two potentially deadly storms bear down on the region.
Hurricane Isaac is due to hit several islands in the Caribbean from tomorrow and British Airways is allowing customers due to travel to Antigua, the Dominican Republic, Providenciales, St Kitts, St Lucia or the Port of Spain up to Friday the chance to postpone their trips up to Monday September 17.
The storm is also likely to bring torrential rain and high winds to Barbados, St Vincent, the Grenadines and Dominica.
At the same time Hurricane Florence is heading to the US east coast, prompting the evacuation of more than a million homes in Carolina and Virgina.
BA is allowing passengers due to travel to Washington Dulles or Baltimore up until Sunday to change their booking and travel on a later date up to and including Wednesday September 19.
Virgin Atlantic said flights in the US operated by its partner airline Delta might be affected by the storm and suggested passengers should contact the airline to check the status of their flights.
The airline is also giving customers due to travel to a number of airports along the US east coast up to September 16 the option to re-book flights for departures up to September 20.
American Airlines is allowing passengers to reschedule flights to more than 30 airports, although it said it had not cancelled any services at this stage.
"The American Integrated Operations Center (IOC) in Fort Worth, Texas, continues to closely monitor the track of these storms, and is closely coordinating with the National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration and local airports," it said.
The Foreign Office said Dominica has issued a ‘Hurricane Watch’ and Antigua and Barbuda have issued a ‘Tropical Storm Watch’, meaning that the islands could be hit within the next 48 hours.
"You should monitor local and international weather updates from the~US National Hurricane Centre~and follow the advice of local authorities, including any evacuation orders," it said.
"The island of Barbuda was seriously hit by Hurricane Irma on 6 September 2017 and further affected by Hurricane Jose on 9 September 2017. Many buildings were destroyed. Reconstruction work is still taking place.
"If you’re planning to visit Barbuda during the 2018 hurricane season, you should monitor local and international weather updates, follow the advice of the local authorities and ensure your accommodation is secure."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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