After Two Weeks of Hurricanes, Travel Agents and Airlines Scramble to Get Back to Normal

Two days after Hurricane Irma left the Florida peninsula, airlines are resuming regular service to key Florida and Caribbean airports, as leisure travelers are forging on with their vacations, and agents are reeling from nonstop workdays.

“Hold times are longer with everyone,” said Diane Bean, owner of Off on Vacation in Portland, ME. “Everyone is calling, and for some vendors, their call centers are in Florida, so they are impacted and might be short on staff.”

“I’ve been on the phones with clients and vendors nonstop the last few days. You have to persevere, to stay on the phone, on email, persisting,” she said.

Travel agent Tammy Murphy, owner of VIP Travel Experience in Harahan, LA, said she has worked for days while on her own vacation as travelers reached out to her, pleading for assistance.

“I was posting about helping my cousin escape St. Maarten, and total strangers reached out to me for assistance because they had no ability to help themselves.”

According to the website FlightAware.com, 44% of the flights to Miami International Airport were cancelled on Wednesday, Sept. 13, while 34% of flights were cancelled in Tampa, 24% at Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myers, FL, and 21% at Puerto Rico’s Luis Munoz Marin International. Destinations like Orlando and Fort Lauderdale were experiencing cancellations in the low teens.

Air Canada said it resumed an extensive amount of its regional schedule Wednesday, including full service to Florida, and said it is operating “regularly scheduled flights have started to operate to most Caribbean destinations.”

“We continue to monitor the situation to assess where additional capacity or flights may be required and our intent is to accommodate all customers wishing to travel. Additionally, a goodwill policy remains in effect for customers to delay or change flights without charge.”

“Customers are advised that aircraft are very full on outgoing flights from Florida and, while Air Canada is adding additional capacity, space may be limited initially. However, Air Canada is committed to add extra capacity in order to transport customers who wish to travel,” the carrier said.

In places like Key West, air service continues to be cancelled as the whole region attempts to recover from the devastation of Irma. Residents and business owners were permitted back into the Upper Keys on Tuesday, visitors have been asked to postpone any near-term plans to vacation in the island chain, Monroe County, FL, officials said on Tuesday.

As the week progresses, the airlines are anticipating a rapid improvement in air capacity. As of this morning, 34% of the flights at Miami International were scheduled to be cancelled for Thursday, Sept. 14, while Tampa will see cancellations drop to 10%, and Orlando drops to 4%.