(Image: PA)
Virgin Atlantic cancels flights between UK and Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton - full list
by Liv Clarke · Manchester Evening NewsVirgin Atlantic has cancelled several flights between the UK and Florida in the coming days as Hurricane Milton is set to cause “adverse weather conditions”. The category 4 storm is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area.
The airline has been forced to cancel flights on Tuesday, October 8; Wednesday October 9 and Thursday October 10 between London Heathrow, Manchester, Orlando and Tampa airports. It said “the safety and comfort of our customers and crew is our top priority.”
The airline added that it would be in touch with any customers whose holidays are impacted by the hurricane. Orlando International Airport has announced that it will cease commercial passenger operations from 8am local time on Wednesday, October 9 with operations “resuming as soon as possible based on damage assessment”.
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Tampa International Airport has already announced that it is closed and will only reopen when “it is safe to do so”. In a statement on its website, Virgin Atlantic said: “Due to adverse weather conditions expected to be caused by Hurricane Milton, a state of emergency has been declared in Florida. Unfortunately this has impacted our flying schedule, and services to and from Orlando and Tampa are subject to cancellations and delays.
(Image: Getty Images)
“The safety and comfort of our customers and crew is our top priority and we are contacting any Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holiday customers who may be impacted by the hurricane to discuss their options. We ask that anyone travelling checks the status of their flights on virginatlantic.com for the latest information. We’d like to thank our customers for their patience as we work through the impact of Hurricane Milton.”
Full list of Virgin Atlantic flight cancellations:
Tuesday 08 October 2024
- VS129 – London Heathrow to Tampa
- VS130 – Tampa to London Heathrow
Wednesday 09 October 2024
VS225 – Edinburgh to Orlando has been delayed by 23 hours and will now operate on Thursday 10th October.
- VS129 – London Heathrow to Tampa
- VS130 – Tampa to London Heathrow
- VS074 – Orlando to Manchester
- VS075 – Manchester to Orlando
- VS076 – Orlando to Manchester
- VS091 – London Heathrow to Orlando
- VS092 – Orlando to London Heathrow
- VS135 - London Heathrow to Orlando
- VS136 – Orlando to London Heathrow
Thursday 10 October 2024
- VS091 – London Heathrow to Orlando
The airline added:” We will explore all options to support travel plans and all impacted customers will be contacted with their options. We’re working hard to rebook customers onto alternative flights however due to limited availability, new flights will depart on a different date, may involve travel via a connecting airport or depart/arrive at an alternative airport.”
Customers who no longer wish to travel are advised that they are entitled to a refund which they can request on the Virgin Atlantic website. The airline said that it “continues to track and monitor the Hurricane to understand any potential impact on our operation over the coming days.”
It added that customers with operating flights booked to travel between October 7 and 10 to, from or through: Daytona Beach, FL (DAB): Fort Myers, FL (RSW): Gainesville, FL (GNV); Key West, FL (EYW); Melbourne, FL (MLB); Orlando, FL (MCO); Sarasota, FL (SRQ); and Tampa, FL (TPA) can change their travel route or dates via the Virgin Atlantic website - more details can be found here. Those who booked with a third party should contact their provider directly as policies could differ.