Hurricane Francine made landfall late Wednesday in Louisiana with most flights out of New Orleans cancelled.
Dozens of flights were grounded – equal to about two-thirds of departures while Baton Rouge Metro and Lafayette regional airports also saw most flights scrapped.
It also affected some services in Houston, Texas.
The Port of New Orleans closed ahead of the storm, delaying Carnival Valor’s September 12 departure.
It could depart later on Thursday afternoon, the cruise line said.
“We will continue to monitor the storm, factor in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard and the local port authorities to provide timely updates,” Carnival said.
There is some optimism as Francine is ‘rapidly weakening’ after bringing 100 mph winds and heavy rains to New Orleans late on Wednesday.
It is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by late Thursday.
All major airlines including Delta, Southwest, American Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines have issued flight waivers until Thursday or Friday, allowing customers to change flight dates for free.
Confirmed flight cancellations for Thursday morning are relatively light, but airlines say that could still change after damage assessments are carried out on Thursday morning.
