Hurricane Irma is grounding travelers as far away as London and Doha.
Airlines on four continents canceled flights to and from Florida, as the massive Category 4 hurricane lashed the Florida Keys on Sunday morning, bringing top sustained winds of 130 miles per hour.
Carriers have called off at least 10,700 flights — including 7,400 in Florida alone — because of Irma, according to plane-tracker Flight Aware. That number is expected to rise as a weakened, but still powerful Irma, heads north near Atlanta, a Delta Air Lines hub and the world’s busiest airport.
American Airlines, which operates a hub out of Miami International Airport, has suspended flights to the city and other Florida airports it serves in Irma’s path, and competitors Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines have followed suit.
The hurricane is also disrupting foreign carriers that fly to this region. British Airways cancelled its twice daily flight from London to Miami on Sunday while Qatar Airways said it won’t fly its Doha to Miami round trip route on Monday.
South Florida is not just a hub for American Airlines, but a host of other carriers that service Latin America and the Caribbean. Big regional carriers like Chile’s Latam, Colombia-based Avianca and Panamanian carrier Copa have also cancelled flights to Florida this weekend.
All of these airlines said they would waive, change or cancel fees due to the storm.
Irma’s impact won’t only affect travelers. Packages will also be delayed as FedEx, UPS and USPS suspend pickups and deliveries in hundreds of cities in the south.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts Irma will weaken to a tropical depression during the week, and could strike near Memphis — FedEx’s hub — by midweek.