US airlines brace themselves, passengers for Hurricane Irma

As Hurricane Irma bore down on the southern US Wednesday, airlines adjusted flight schedules, made cancellations and assured passengers they would not have to pay unusually high fares ahead of the storm's arrival. Irma was expected to make landfall in Florida by the weekend, and as of Wednesday, it had already pummelled islands in the Caribbean with rain, pounding winds and surging surf. While the storm's precise trajectory remained uncertain, airlines pre-emptively canceled flights in the likely affected regions and put in place travel waivers for customers to reschedule plans. In some cases, before the storm struck, carriers added flights and upsized aircraft out of Florida and the Caribbean to accommodate as many passengers evacuating the area as possible. <br/>