Hurricane Patricia: 700 flights canceled, cruise ship recalled
As Hurricane Patricia approaches, tourists in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, wait to board buses that will take them to a shelter on Oct. 23, 2015. Hundreds of flights have been canceled and a cruise ship from Los Angeles has been recalled because of the storm.
Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful storms on record, has forced the cancellation of hundreds of airline flights from Mexico to Texas and the recall of a cruise ship to Los Angeles.
But so far the impact on the travel industry has been limited because the massive storm is hitting before the holiday season starts in late November. Mexico is also a popular tourist destination for spring break and during the summer months.
As of early afternoon Friday, more than 700 flights had been canceled in North America, mostly in and out of Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport, which has been hit with scattered thunderstorms and wind, according to Flightstats.com, a website that monitors flight delays and cancellations.
------------
FOR THE RECORD
Oct. 23, 3:25 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said that more than 1,000 flights had been canceled. In fact, more than 700 flights had been canceled in North American and more than 1,000 flights had been canceled worldwide.
------------
Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was closed. About 40 flights were canceled 40 Friday morning.
Los Angeles International Airport reported 13 canceled flights and nearly 200 delayed.
Santa Clarita-based Princess Cruises announced via Twitter that it was rerouting the Ruby Princess from a scheduled call Friday in the port of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Instead it will spend a day at sea and return to Los Angeles on Sunday.
Patricia was upgraded overnight to a Category 5 hurricane -- with the strongest winds ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere -- after growing at “an incredible rate” over a 12-hour span, according to the World Meteorological Organization,
The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board issued the following statement Friday:
“Preventive evacuation of residents and tourists began October 22. Some 16 shelters in safe areas around Puerto Vallarta are in operation and buses are continuing evacuations to Guadalajara. The majority of visitors and residents from the Historic Center and the Hotel Zone along Puerto Vallarta’s beaches have been evacuated. The airport is closed until further notice.”
To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow me on Twitter at @hugomartin.
