Nearly 2,000 US flights canceled as Tropical Storm Debby looms; cruises changed

Flight cancellations mounted in the U.S. on Sunday as Tropical Storm Debby neared Florida. The storm is expected to make landfall as a hurricane on Monday.

Nearly 2,000 flights had been canceled and close to 6,300 were delayed as of 5 p.m. ET, according to flight tracking site FlightAware . American Airlines and JetBlue saw the highest cancellation numbers among major carriers, both scrapping 17% of their schedules.

The following airlines are issuing waivers related to the weather, allowing impacted travelers to change their flights without penalty:

• American
• Delta Air Lines
• Frontier
• JetBlue
• Southwest Airlines
• Spirit Airlines
• United Airlines

Passengers are entitled to refunds if their flights are canceled, according to Department of Transportation rules.

Cruises adjust itineraries

Flights weren’t the only kind of travel impacted. Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Elation rescheduled its return to Jacksonville for Sunday, rather than Monday as planned. The ship departed from the Florida city for a Bahamas cruise on Thursday, according to CruiseMapper .

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“The safety of our guests and crew is our priority, and we are continuing to monitor forecasts and factor in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard and the local port authorities to provide timely updates to our guests as more information becomes available,” the cruise line said in an emailed statement.

Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas also skipped a planned stop at Port Canaveral on Sunday, spending the day at sea instead, parent company Royal Caribbean Group said. The ship is on a week-long Bahamas cruise that left from Bayonne, New Jersey, on Friday.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky ship changed course, as well, visiting Nassau in place of Great Stirrup Cay on Sunday. The vessel, which left from Miami on Friday, also skipped a planned stop in Key West on Saturday, remaining at sea instead.

"As always, the health and safety of our guests and crew remains a top priority," the cruise line said in an emailed statement.

Margaritaville at Sea's Islander ship , which was scheduled to depart on a cruise to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico, on Sunday, will now leave on Monday because of closed waterways at Port Tampa Bay. The vessel will skip the stop in Key West as a result.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nearly 2,000 US flights canceled as Tropical Storm Debby looms; cruises changed