Strengthening Hurricane Irene starting to threaten travel
The first hurricane of the season in the Atlantic was strengthening Tuesday amid warnings it could have a major impact on some southern states. Already, the early-forming storm has had an impact on travel this week for both airline passengers and cruisers.
JetBlue, for example, says it will waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for consumers at least through today, on flights to and from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Others may follow.
Affected cities include San Juan, Ponce and Aguadilla in Puerto Rico;
Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Aug. 27 without paying change fees. Customers with canceled flights may also opt for a refund. Original travel must have been booked on or before Aug. 21, the airline says.
Carnival Cruise Lines said the Miracle has changed its itinerary to visit Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay instead of San Juan and St. Thomas.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean International said it has modified the itineraries of Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. The ships will call on the same port but in a different order.
Gov. Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency Monday and urged people to stay indoors to avoid downed power lines, flooded streets and other hazards, according to the Associated Press.
Forecasters warned the storm could threaten Florida and South Carolina by the end of the week.
“Hurricane Irene moved through the northern part of Puerto Rico. It may become a category two or even three storm by the weekend when it could threaten Florida and the Southeast coast,” reports The Chicago Weather Center.
According to NOAA, this could be the first of as many as 19 named storms that may come. NOAA recently revised their forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season and is now predicting between 14 and 19 named storms (tropical storms or hurricanes).
At this time, current model track guidance is nearly unanimous in steering Irene towards the southeast coast by Friday or Saturday, with landfall occurring somewhere between central South Carolina and southern North Carolina.
However, track errors at this range can be as large as 200 to 250 miles so landfall could occur considerably further south or north of that area or the storm could even take enough of a right turn to go out to sea, according to The Capital Weather Gang.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026