Summary

  • Airlines adjust schedules and offer evacuation flights out of the Caribbean due to Hurricane Beryl.
  • Airlines are waiving fees for cancelations and rescheduling Caribbean flights for the next few days.
  • The Indian National Men’s Cricket Team is also stranded in the Caribbean, as the special Air India charter flight couldn’t reach Barbados.

With Hurricane Beryl showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, flight operations to the Caribbean have been affected. While many scheduled flights have been canceled, some airlines have also announced evacuation flights from some airports in the region as the storm continues to wreak havoc.

Special flights

With passengers stuck in the Caribbean due to Hurricane Beryl, some airlines have arranged special flights to the region to bring people back home. American Airlines announced three additional flights to Jamaica on Tuesday:

  • AA9604 Montego Bay (MBJ) – CLT, departing at 4:05 pm local time
  • AA9607 Montego Bay (MBJ) – MIA, departing at 6:35 pm local time
  • AA9606 Kingston (KIN) – MIA, departing at 8:45 pm local time
American Airlines Boeing 737-800 landing at JFK shutterstock_1674484681

Photo: Lukas Wunderlich | Shutterstock

Other airlines, including United, Air Canada, and Delta Air Lines, have also adjusted their schedules from July 2-4. This includes additional flights to some airports while canceling others for the safe and timely evacuation of travelers.

According to the Miami Herald, as of 17:30 on Tuesday, Hurricane Beryl led to seven flight cancelations at Miami International Airport. These included two flights arriving from San Juan and Barbados and five departing for Santo Domingo, Barbados and San Juan.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 landing in Fort Lauderdale.

Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock

British Airways is monitoring the situation and canceled its flight from Gatwick to St Luca and Georgetown in Guyana on Monday. Virgin Atlantic’s flight departed five hours early on Sunday morning from Barbados to avoid heavy storm conditions. The airline released a statement, saying,

“As a result of the adverse weather conditions caused by Hurricane Beryl, we’re working closely with our local teams in the Caribbean to understand any impact to local airports infrastructure and minimise disruption to our services”

Airlines have also been waiving cancelation or rescheduling fees for the next few days, considering the inconvenience caused to passengers by the hurricane. More information can be found by contacting the airlines directly.

United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 taxiing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport ORD shutterstock_2347230081

Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock

Intense storm

Hurricane Beryl is slightly unusual because it became the first Atlantic hurricane to be upgraded to category 4 in June. Never before has such a strong storm hit the region this early. It was later even upgraded to category 5.

By Monday, the storm was raging at speeds of up to 160 mph (257 kph) and was headed towards Jamaica, leaving a few people dead in its wake. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued an advisory, saying,

“Beryl is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands Wednesday night and Thursday.”

Indian Cricket Team stuck in Barbados

Among those stuck in the Caribbean is the Indian National Cricket Team, which recently won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, jointly hosted by the United States and the Caribbean.

Air India Boeing 777-300ER

Photo: viper-zero | Shutterstock

The Indian Cricket Team, along with their families, some board officials, and members of the Indian media, are stranded in Barbados, where the final match took place. A special Air India charter flight named AIC24WC—Air India Champions 24 World Cup—was supposed to bring them back a few days ago but was unable to depart for the destination due to the hurricane. The team is now expected to return home on Thursday.

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