Quick Update on Hurricane Irene

If you are traveling to the southeastern US or the Caribbean in the near future, no doubt you are keeping a close eye on the Category 3 storm moving through the area. The following update is a condensed version of an article by Adria Valdes, from the Recommend.com travel agents website. Hurricane Irene has caused a wave of travel cancellations as it moves through the Atlantic Ocean, already passing through Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos and the Dominican Republic. The good news is, it looks as though vacationers with travel plans in the coming weeks, and days even, need not worry. According to the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, which we spoke to earlier today, while there has been some road closures and flooding in areas such Fajardo, all airports, hotels and resorts, as well ferry service to Vieques Island are open for business. The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism released a statement today saying, “all seaports, highways, hotels and most attractions and beaches are open and welcoming visitors post-Hurricane Irene. Most of the country’s eight international airports—including Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International Airport, which was closed Monday; and Puerto Plata’s Luperon International Airport, closed yesterday—are also open and receiving flights.” The tourism office, however, does urge tourists planning to visit the Dominican Republic in the next few days to check with their hotels and airlines to confirm travel information. As of press time, no updates were available from the Turks & Caicos tourism office as an assessment of the affects of the hurricane was still in progress this afternoon. The island is scheduled to release a press statement with the latest travel updates later today. Airline Updates - American Airlines has issued a travel waiver for passengers flying to and from several airports in the Caribbean—including San Juan and Santo Domingo—through Friday, Aug. 26. - Delta will waive change fees for passengers going to and from The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico through Thursday, Aug. 25. - JetBlue will waive change fees, as well as fare differences for travelers going to and from The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Turks & Caicos. - Continental Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways all have similar policies, as well.