UPDATE: Delta adds flights from Florida as IRMA approaches

Delta has added flights and upsized aircraft on flights out of south Florida as Hurricane Irma, the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, bears down on the region. New flights will transport customers from Miami, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Key West to Atlanta, Delta’s largest hub.

Meanwhile, a weather waiver has been issued to reflect the expected travel disruption to destinations in south Florida and throughout the Caribbean. The waiver allows customers to change plans without incurring a fee.

At Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta, the airline’s team of 25 meteorologists is taking a hard look at the storm’s path to gauge the impact to the airline’s operations and customers.

The current track shows Hurricane Irma approaching Puerto Rico by Wednesday evening. Delta has canceled its operation in St. Thomas for Wednesday and will delay its evening operation in San Juan pending a facility assessment after the storm’s passage. Delta will continue evaluating the path of the storm and strategic planners in the airline’s Operations and Customer Center are working with operational teams at airports along the storm’s projected path to determine where disruptions may occur.