DCA passengers closely monitor Hurricane Milton’s impact on flights

ARLINGTON, Va. ( DC News Now ) — As Hurricane Milton barrels toward western Florida, the inclement weather is already impacting flights across the country. In Arlington, passengers in and out of Reagan National Airport ( DCA ) have been closely monitoring the possible impact on their travel plans due to Milton.

As of Wednesday morning, 28 flights departing from DCA and 26 flights arriving at DCA were canceled, according to FlightAware.com . This includes flights to Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tampa, and Orlando.

Millions have been ordered to evacuate leading traffic to back up along the interstate. However, Hurricane Milton has already forced the shutdown of Tampa International Airport as millions try to flee the storm’s path.

“Nobody wants to get stuck in the weather,” said Bruce Gardner, who was flying to Miami. “I was in Myrtle Beach when the other hurricane hit so it’s pretty traumatic to be especially on a plane in a hurricane.”

President Joe Biden has issued a stark warning to airlines not to price gouge and to help accommodate as many evacuations as possible. On Tuesday, many airlines announced they have capped their fares.

United Airlines capped its fares for a one-way, economy-class ticket to hubs from impacted Florida markets to below $500. Delta Airlines also announced that its fares were capped, but did not provide prices.

American Airlines said it added thousands of seats leaving from Orlando, Tampa and Sarasota earlier this week.

As Hurricane Milton continues to strengthen, flight cancellations across the U.S. are expected to soar past 1,600, according to a report from AP .

“I was paying close attention to Milton because of the fact that all we are going down to Miami and I wanted to see whether the flight was going to be canceled or not,” said Gardner.

Gardner told DC News Now that he is thankful his flight to Miami was not canceled.

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg posted on X , stating the department is keeping a close eye on flights in and out of affected areas to make sure airlines are not charging excessively.

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