LAX travelers urged to plan for possible flight delays, cancellations due to Hurricane Michael

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- As Hurricane Michael closed in Wednesday on the Florida panhandle with potentially catastrophic winds of 145 mph, travelers at Los Angeles International Airport were urged to expect possible flight delays and cancelations as a result of the storm.

Flights from LAX to hubs such as Atlanta and Tampa, which offer connections to facilities in the storm's path -- including Tallahassee International, Pensacola International, and Destin-Fort Walton Beach airports -- were being impacted by the Category 4 storm.

Delta Airlines said it had moved its planes that were parked in the storm zone to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to wait out the hurricane.

Travelers were urged to check for flight delays before heading to LAX this week.

For Delta and Southwest Airlines passengers, the cost of changing an itinerary affected by the storm was being waived in most cases.

Hurricane Michael is expected to impact Georgia and the Carolinas later in the week, possibly resulting in similar delays and cancelations of flights to and from those states.