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Delta Air Lines disclosed Tuesday that Hurricane Florence took a roughly US$30m hit on its finances. The airline said the September storm negatively affected its pre-tax income and drove its unit revenues down half a percentage point, according to an investor update filed with the US SEC. The company still expects to report earnings of $1.70 to $1.80 per share for the Q3 ended in September. Delta canceled more than 270 flights due to Hurricane Florence. Airports it serves in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Fayetteville, Wilmington, New Bern and Jacksonville, N.C. temporarily closed during the storm. The airline also temporarily waived fees for checked baggage and pets in the cabin, capped certain fares during the hurricane and added flights for those evacuating the Carolinas. <br/>

Delta is partnering with a pet travel pod start-up, as it changes its prices and policy for transporting passengers' animal companions, the airline announced Tuesday. Delta struck a long-term partnership with CarePod, saying the Singapore-based start-up will help it carry and monitor pets better and give real-time updates to customers. The firm offers safety monitoring, tracking and logistics software for transporting pets. The details of the deal are unclear, but the airline said that its cargo division will "launch a new pet transportation strategy" through the partnership. In 2016, Delta stopped accepting pets as checked baggage following criticism for the death of pets in checked carriers. Instead, Delta said some pets could travel as carry-ons in the plane's cabin and others could be shipped via Delta Cargo. <br/>