Hundreds of flights were canceled Monday as airlines struggled with the impact of Hurricane Beryl, which caused Landing in Texas.
About 3,500 other flights were also delayed, although not all the delays were related to the hurricane, According to According to flight tracking site FlightAware, many of the disrupted flights are those departing from or heading to Texas airports, including nearly 600 canceled departures from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and 165 canceled departures from William P. Hobby Airport, also in Houston.
FlightAware data showed that United Airlines had the most flight cancellations on Monday morning, with 486, followed by Southwest with 346.
Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 storm, with sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph, though it weakened to 100 mph on Monday. Tropical storm With maximum sustained winds approaching 70 mph, even a less powerful hurricane carries the risk of flooding and storm surge, with rainfall in the Houston metropolitan area reaching 2 to 3 inches per hour, with the region potentially facing up to 12 inches of rain plus flash flooding, said David Parkinson, CBS News senior weather and climate producer.
Beryl, the second named storm in what is expected to be a busy Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 to November 30, is forecast to head toward Moves Hurricane Katrina is expected to hit eastern Texas on Monday, then move through the lower Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In a statement to CBS News, United said it will largely suspend flights out of Houston on Monday, but will waive change fees and fare differences for passengers who want to reschedule their flights. United flights at Houston International Airport will remain suspended until at least 5 p.m. ET. “This will be adjusted based on conditions as the storm passes,” the airline said.
Similarly, American Airlines told CBS News it will suspend operations at Houston airports on Monday until about 3 p.m. ET.
“We will assess conditions tomorrow to determine if it is safe to resume afternoon/evening operations,” American Airlines said in a statement, adding that customers can also rebook their tickets without change fees. The airline said it has no plans to change its Texas flight schedules in Austin, Brownsville, Harlingen or McAllen due to the storm.
Southwest Airlines said in a statement that it was canceling flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Corpus Christi International Airport through noon Monday. The company said it expected schedule changes through noon Monday and urged customers to check the status of their flights for any disruptions.
—Reporting by Chris Van Cleave of CBS News.
