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Hurricane Milton Weather
Southwest Airlines employees cover the ticket counters with plastic wrap just before Tampa International Airport was closing due to the possible arrival of Hurricane Milton Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Airlines say they're capping fares in the hurricane's path as Biden warns against price gouging

President Joe Biden is warning airlines and other companies not to overcharge people who are trying to get out of the path of Hurricane Milton

By DAVID KOENIG
Published - Oct 08, 2024, 06:11 PM ET
Last Updated - Dec 16, 2024, 06:31 PM EST

A few airports in Florida began closing and airlines canceled hundreds of flights on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival. Government officials from President Joe Biden on down warned companies not to overcharge people fleeing the storm's path.

“I’m calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations, and not to engage in price gouging — to just do it on the level," Biden said after a hurricane briefing.

Airlines defended their actions, some saying they had imposed fare caps in the last couple days.

By midafternoon Tuesday on the East Coast, airlines had canceled more than 700 U.S. flights, compared with fewer than 200 cancellations on Monday and fewer than 100 each of the two previous days, according to the FlightAware tracking service.

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