Airlines Say They Capped Fares During Hurricane Milton as Price Gouging Claims Go Viral

Skift Take

Nearly all flights out of Orlando, Tampa and Sarasota were canceled as airports in the area closed due to Hurricane Milton.

Meghna Maharishi

Airlines said they have capped airfares as they face accusations of price gouging before Hurricane Milton hits the Gulf Coast south of Tampa.

Amid evacuation calls, some Florida residents shared screenshots on social media of economy airfares out of Tampa starting at $1,000. One user shared a post on X that showed United economy airfares for Tuesday out of Tampa costing as much as $2,150. However, all the itineraries displayed in the screenshots were not valid, since Tampa International Airport closed at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. 

United told Skift that it started capping airfares at $500 on Sunday, and the average economy fare out of its Florida hubs was well below that limit. 

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Department of Transportation “takes all allegations of airline price-gouging seriously.”

Delta said Wednesday that it capped airfares for 12 cities in Florida based on distance flown and tried to use larger aircraft whenever possible. American also said it placed a cap on airfares for flights departing from its affected airports. 

Flight Cancellations Mount in Florida

Hundreds of flights in Florida were canceled on Wednesday as airports closed ahead of Hurricane Milton, a Category 4 storm that is expected to hit the Gulf Coast south of Tampa. 

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that Hurricane Milton could be “one of the worst storms in 100 years.”

Nearly all flights out of Orlando, Tampa and Sarasota were canceled as of Wednesday morning, according to FlightAware. At Miami International Airport, which is not in the direct path of the storm, there were 38 flight cancellations and 12 delays. 

Flight disruptions in Florida could persist after the storm. Tampa International Airport closed Tuesday morning and said it would reopen after it can “assess any damage after the storm.” Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport closed Tuesday at 4 p.m., and Orlando International Airport said it would plan to close Wednesday morning.

Carriers started offering passengers travel waivers in the days leading to the storm. American, Delta, United and Southwest also added extra flights out of Tampa, Orlando and Sarasota. 

As of Tuesday evening, American said it had added 2,000 extra seats out of Orlando, in addition to the capacity added in Tampa and Sarasota. 

United said it added a total of 18 extra flights out of Florida and had flown in extra water, non-perishable food, tarps, duct tape and other supplies to prepare for the storm. The carrier added that as of Wednesday, all flights it had scheduled out of Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers were full.