Nearly 1,700 U.S. flights have been canceled, and more than 4,200 more have been delayed just before 5 p.m. ET Monday as Tropical Storm Beryl lashes Texas, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda, Texas early Monday and was downgraded to a tropical storm later in the morning, the National Hurricane Center reported. Matagorda is less than 100 miles from Houston.
About 5 p.m. ET, 90% of flights at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and 80% at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) were canceled. Houston (IAH) is a major hub for United Airlines, which is suffering the worst of the operational impacts from the storm so far. About 16% of United’s flights, just shy of 500 departures across its network, have been canceled so far Monday. Southwest also has a large presence in Houston (HOU) and has seen nearly 350 cancellations across its network so far.
Airlines including Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, and United are offering waivers related to the storm, allowing travelers to rebook travel within certain parameters without penalty.
Travelers are always eligible for refunds, even if they purchased nonrefundable tickets, if their flights are canceled for any reason, according to Department of Transportation rules.
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Cruise lines adjust itineraries
The Port of Galveston remained closed Monday after suspending vessel operations over the weekend, and multiple cruise lines have adjusted their plans.
Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas – currently sailing a Western Caribbean cruise – will return to the Texas port city on Tuesday rather than on Monday as planned. The ship’s next itinerary will skip a scheduled stop in Costa Maya, Mexico as a result, but will visit Cozumel.
“Along with our chief meteorologist, we are closely monitoring the progression of Hurricane Beryl into the South Texas region and are adjusting some of our routes to ensure the comfort and safety of our guests and crew,” a spokesperson for the line’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, said in an emailed statement. “Guests on impacted sailings will be notified of any changes directly.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Dream ship departed early on Sunday afternoon, before the port was closed to vessel traffic. “We won’t have ships in port for a few days, per the normal schedule, and Carnival Breeze is the next ship to return to Galveston on July 11,” spokesperson Matt Lupoli said in an email.
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