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Over 3,000 Flights Canceled Ahead of Hurricane Matthew

Fort Lauderdale and Miami hit hardest as airlines brace for hurricane.

Over 3,000 flights heading into the Florida panhandle may be canceled through Saturday, ahead of the potential landfall of the most powerful storm of 2016. USA Today reports the cancellations come as airlines brace for the impact of Hurricane Matthew, expected in the next day.

According to FlightAware.com, the hardest hit airports are Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). At MIA, nearly half of all scheduled outbound flights have been cancelled, while 59 percent of all inbound flights will not leave the ground. In Fort Lauderdale, officials at FLL confirmed on Twitter the final flight to leave the airport was Southwest Airlines Flight 364, departing Thursday at 10:27 a.m. Until the hurricane passes, the airport will remain closed and secured.

Other airports anticipated to close before the storm hits include Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Jacksonville International Airport (JAX). Aviation industry insiders say the closures are important to maintain aviation safety as the Category 4 hurricane passes over eastern Florida.

“Safety is always airlines’ first priority, and to protect both passengers and employees, airlines began moving crew and aircraft out of the way of the storm and pre-emptively canceling flights on Wednesday,” Billy Nolen, senior vice president of safety, security and operations at Airlines for America said in a press release. “Doing so helps ensure that neither passengers nor crew are stranded and enables airlines to recover and accommodate customers as soon as possible when it is safe to do so.”

Overall, UPI reports over two million people are being encouraged to evacuate the area ahead of the hurricane. The storm’s landfall in Haiti has been attributed to over 20 deaths in addition to severe damages.

[Photo: AP]

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bigbuy October 7, 2016

The areas you mentioned are NOT in the Florida Panhandle.