Flights cancelled and cruise itineraries changed for Hurricane Lee

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Hurricane Lee is expected to make landfall in Canada this weekend while also bringing tropical storm conditions and flooding to parts of New England.

Some flights and cruises in these areas are already being affected Friday as the storm barrels up the Atlantic coast.

According to a flight tracking site, 23 flights at Boston’s Logan International Airport were canceled as of Friday afternoon, as were 15 flights at Nantucket Airport and seven at Martha’s Vineyard Airport.

Cape Air, which flies short flights to several Massachusetts airports and in the Caribbean, had cancelled 37 flights by Friday afternoon, according to a site which tracks aviation.

Lee brought tropical storm conditions to Bermuda on Thursday and several airlines have offered waivers to travelers flying in and out of the island nation.

Both American and Delta Airlines have offered to waive change fees for flyers traveling to or from Bermuda on Sept. 14 and 15.

American, Delta and United Airlines have offered waivers for flyers traveling to or from several airports in cities that are expected to be affected, including Bangor, Maine and Boston. The travel days that are expected to be most affected in these areas are Sept. 16 or 17.

Those who are traveling to New England or Canada on these airlines can check if their change fee has been waived on the airlines’ websites.

Flights are not the only mode of transportation being affected by the storm. Royal Caribbean altered the itineraries of four cruise ships ahead of the hurricane, including one that was scheduled to dock at a port in St. Maarten on Thursday, but did not due to the storm, according to the group that runs the port.

Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas ship was supposed to visit Halifax, Canada on Sept. 16 but instead will spend the day in Manhattan after leaving from Cape Liberty in New Jersey on Friday, according to a report.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has also cancelled the planned stops of its Norwegian Escape ship.

After leaving Boston on Tuesday, the ship docked in Eastport, Main instead of Portland.

It was supposed to go to Halifax, Canada but instead will head to New York on Sept. 17 where it will finish out the remaining two days of the cruise.

Prince Cruise lines has also diverted ships away from Halifax. Instead of stopping in the Canadian city on Thursday, the Emerald Princess left Saint John, Newfoundland and went straight to its homeport in Brooklyn, New York.

It arrived one day earlier than expected, on Friday, a representative for the cruise line told a news media via email.

The cruise line’s Caribbean Princess ship will dock in Boston on Friday to brace for the storm. The rest of the itinerary for the 10-day cruise may also change due to weather.

American Cruise Lines, which has several small ships in Portland, Bangor and New Bedford, Massachusetts has docked all of its ships in the region ahead of the storm according to a representative for the cruise line.

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