(Reuters) – Airlines in the United States canceled 1,220 flights on early Thursday as tropical storm Nicole made landfall in the east coast of Florida, disrupting flight schedules and forcing airports in the region to shut.
Delta Air Lines, American Airlines Group and Southwest Airlines canceled more than 100 flights each, while United Airlines called off 73 trips, according to flight-tracking website Flightaware.com.
Nearly 990 flights were canceled on Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration had earlier this week warned travelers that it expected the tropical storm to strengthen and impact travel in Florida and along the southeast coast.
The flight cancellations are likely to add to the woes of airlines struggling to ramp up operation and take advantage of a rebound in travel amid staff shortage and strikes over the past year.
Airports within the affected region including Orlando International, Daytona Beach International and Palm Beach International ceased operations, while Jacksonville International Airport remained open.
(This story has been refiled to add dropped ‘than’ in paragraph 2)
(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
