American Airlines cancels 2,000 flights out of Florida ahead of Irma

American Airlines is canceling flights out of Miami beginning Friday afternoon as Hurricane Irma approaches South Florida.

The airline said Thursday that the last flight out of Miami will depart to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas at 3:49 p.m. Friday. The last arrival on American will be a 1 p.m. flight on Friday.

Flights on Saturday and Sunday are canceled out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach. Flights scheduled to arrive in Miami Friday from Europe and South America have also been canceled.

In Orlando, the airline will wind down operations at 2 p.m. Saturday and all flights will be canceled Sunday.

“We continue to evaluate operations at other Florida airports, including Sarasota and Tampa, and will make adjustments as necessary,” American said in a statement.

In all, American canceled 85 flights for Thursday, 475 flights for Friday, 740 flights for Saturday, 760 flights for Sunday and 125 flights for Monday.

American is waiving change fees for flights to and from dozens of destinations in Florida and the Caribbean due to Irma.

Miami International Airport had 24 departures and 33 arrivals canceled on Thursday but will remain open. The airport will close when sustained winds reach 55 miles per hour, airport spokesman Greg Chin said.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 11:45 AM with the headline "American Airlines cancels 2,000 flights out of Florida ahead of Irma."