A flight-tracking service says about 1,200 U.S. airline flights scheduled for Thursday or Friday have been canceled, with some airports in the Carolinas essentially shut down.
FlightAware said in its midday report Thursday that the number of canceled flights is relatively small and could increase.
However, the hurricane's effect on the nationwide air-travel system will be less than feared if, as now forecast, Florence veers away from the American Airlines hub airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, and doesn't score a direct hit on Delta Air Lines' massive hub in Atlanta.
A private weather-forecasting firm is estimating that Hurricane Florence will cause $50 billion to $60 billion in economic damages.
