Thousands of flights cancelled after Tropical Storm Debby batters Florida on Monday

Thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled this week after Tropical Storm Debby made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, packing winds of 80mph.

Debby, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, has left devastation in its wake after thrashing parts of Florida on Monday, leaving at least five dead, thousands without power and risks of flooding.

While flight cancellations have reduced as of Tuesday, the storm, which is now sustaining winds of up to 45mph, is moving toward Georgia and South Carolina, where flight disruptions in those states have been slowly climbing as they prepare for the storm to hit.

More than 1,700 flights were cancelled, and just over 5,800 were delayed on Monday across the United States, with even more being terminated the day before in anticipation of the deadly storm, according to data from FlightAware.

By early Tuesday morning, 7.30am EDT, only 267 flight cancellations had been reported within, in, or out of the US.

Many of those who were attempting to fly out of the Sunshine State were left stranded as hundreds of flights from Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) were delayed or cancelled as Debby continued to provide strong winds.

As of 4pm on Monday, there were 248 delays and 155 cancellations at Miami’s airport, while at FLL, there were 212 delays and 127 cancellations, CBS reported.

By early Tuesday morning, the numbers had significantly reduced, with Miami only having four flights cancelled and 17 delayed out of the airport, and FLL had six cancelled but still 25 delayed, according to FlightAware.

Travellers ended up sleeping in the airport’s hallways while others opted to book a nearby hotel, all the while trying to figure out what to do next now their flights were disrupted.

Reports of hours-long customer service desk queues also highlighted how many travellers had been impacted by the last-minute disruptions due to the brutal gusts with maximum sustained winds of 80mph on Monday as it made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida.

Miami International spokesman Jack Valera told CBS that passengers with flights should check with their airline before arriving at the airport and travellers with confirmed flights should get there early.

“It’s packed; try to come three hours in advance. If you’re taking a domestic or an international flight, give yourself time to come into the airport, look for the gate and go through security before boarding the plane. Just make sure you come with a lot of time to the airport,” he said on Monday.

The international airports of Tampa and Orlando also reported hundreds of flights cancelled from their landing strips.

Some 350 flights were also cancelled or delayed across Texas airports on Monday due to the storm, the Statesman reported. Philadelphia International Airport also experienced mass cancellations and delays for days straight in flights to cities like Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami.

As Debby has now set its course away from Florida towards Georgia and South Carolina, the airports in these states are now topping FlightAware’s list of most cancellations in the US.

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) in Georgia has 20 cancellations and two delays out of the aiport, while Charleston International Airport in South Carolina has 21 flight cancellations and one delays, as of 7.30 EDT, with numbers seemingly climbing as the day goes on.

SAV airport said that it will remain operational; however, it is asking travellers to keep in contact with their airline as it may “delay or cancel flights depending on weather conditions.”

Charleston is asking passengers to do the same before they arrive while they are closely monitoring the storm.