Passengers warned of days of disruption as deadly Dorian heads towards US coast

Passengers have been warned it might take several days to rearrange their Florida flights following the closure of Orlando airport as Hurricane Dorian moves dangerously close to the US south-east coast.

Although Dorian has been downgraded to a Category 4 storm, it is still potentially lethal officials have warned.

It is moving very slowly over the Bahamas, where it has already caused widespread devastation and killed at least five people, tracking towards the US southeast coast.

Orlando International Airport has closed today in preparation for Dorian’s arrival.

As a result, Virgin Atlantic has been forced to cancel all today’s Gatwick – Orlando flights, while Thomas Cook has cancelled its Manchester – Orlando services.

British Airways said it was monitoring the storm.

In a message on its website, Virgin said: "We’ve been rebooking as many customers as possible on to the next available flights. However due to the airport closure and limited seating options, you may be disrupted for several days.

"The safety and comfort of our customers is our absolute priority and we’re working through recovery preparations for those customers in Orlando when the airfield is reopened."

It warned that due to limited seating passengers might not be offered new flights until recovery plans are established, adding: "You should email [email protected] with your booking reference, contact details (mobile and email), current address and if any assistance requirements you have so that we can contact you to rebook you on to a flight or improve your return flight date.

"Please also refer to our website where we’ll post the latest information. If you do not have a confirmed booking, please do not go to the airport."

Also, Virgin is offering customers travelling from, to or through Orlando, Miami, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Key West, Melbourne, Sarasota / Bradenton, Tallahassee, Tampa, West Palm Beach in Florida and Valdosta in Georgia, between September 4 and 6 the option to rebook to a later date.

Thomas Cook said customers due to return to the UK on flight MT2753 from Orlando to Manchester should remain in their accommodation where possible, and follow the advice of the hotel and local authorities.

"Those customers in the UK scheduled to fly from Manchester to Orlando on flight MT2572 should not come the airport until advised of their rescheduled flight time," it added.

"Our flights to and from Orlando airport on Wednesday 4th September are currently under review, subject to further updates from Orlando airport.

"This continues to be a very fluid situation. Hurricane Dorian has proven to be an unpredictable storm. We will provide further updates as soon as possible.

"We continue to offer free amendments or cancellations to bookings for all customers who wish to do so, for travel up to and including Thursday 5th September."

BA is also giving customers the option to postpone their flights to or from Miami, Orlando, Tampa or Fort Lauderdale or Nassau up to this Friday.

The prime minister of the Bahamas has described the devastation of Hurricane Dorian as ‘unprecedented’, while Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency as Hurricane Dorian approaches.

The storm hit the northern Bahamas on Monday as one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded and the islands have suffered huge damage, with unconfirmed casualties reported.

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis tweeted on Monday: "The devastation is unprecedented. Winds have decreased to 165mph but Dorian remains an extremely dangerous storm. Our focus right now is rescue, recovery and prayer."

The second-strongest Atlantic storm on record forced Lynden Pindling international airport in Nassau to close on Sunday, but it has since re-opened. However, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised tourists to check with airlines and operators for updates.

On Monday evening, the FCO updated its advice to say: "Life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds are possible along portions of the Florida east coast. States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

"You should monitor the progress of approaching storms on the US National Hurricane Center website~and follow instructions issued by the local authorities, including any evacuation orders. If you’re due to travel to the affected areas in the next few days, you should contact your travel provider for the latest travel updates."

Marriott issued a statement on Monday saying: "We continue to monitor the path of Hurricane Dorian, and our hotels in the predicted path have implemented storm preparation protocols. We are in close contact with local authorities, and will take guidance and direction from them as the situation warrants.

"If it is necessary to evacuate and close hotels due to local authorities’ mandates or conditions, our teams are prepared to do so, and have been doing so at some locations.

"We encourage those planning to travel to the storm area to check news updates for the most current information, and amend plans accordingly. Hotels in the impacted area are reviewing their cancellation fees; details may vary by hotel. To modify or cancel an existing reservation, please go to Marriott.com or the Marriott app."

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