Flights to Caribbean, Bahamas gradually restart post-Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma has Florida and Georgia on alert, after causing massive destruction in the Caribbean.

As Hurricane Irma has weakened to a tropical storm and is moving toward Georgia, airlines are working on resuming flights to areas that Irma left in its path.

Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines, the two largest carriers in Atlanta, are gradually resuming flights to the Caribbean and the Bahamas in the wake of Irma's destructive course through the islands.

Atlanta-based Delta resumed flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Santiago in the Dominican Republic last Friday, and is restarting flights to Nassau in the Bahamas on Monday.

Delta plans to resume flights to Havana on Tuesday, to Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos on Wednesday, and to Freeport and Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas on Saturday Sept. 16.

But it’s yet to be determined when Delta will resume flights to St. Maarten, after canceling service there last Wednesday before Irma tore through the island.

Flights to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands could resume Wednesday, pending government approval and an assessment of infrastructure. Delta operated a humanitarian flight to St. Thomas to bring in supplies and transport U.S. citizens from there to Detroit, and plans more humanitarian flights this week to the Caribbean.

Credit: John Spink / ajc.com

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Southwest restarted operations to San Juan on Saturday and to Punta Cana and Montego Bay on Sunday, and plans to resume flights to Nassau and Havana on Wednesday.

Southwest and Delta are both allowing travelers with flights booked to various cities affected by Irma to change their travel plans without paying certain charges through Sept. 17.

For St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos, Delta is now waiving change fees for travelers who had flights booked to those destinations through Oct. 31 and want to change their travel plans.

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