Operations resume morning of Oct. 16
On Oct. 11, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the staff of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport reported that the facility had lost the “entire roof over concourse B,” which covers the screening checkpoint and all 13 aircraft loading gates.
The airport, whose designator is SRQ, would remain closed until 9 a.m. on Oct. 16, the announcement added.
The online Arrivals and Departures chart about 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 16 showed a Delta flight that was to have departed at 6 a.m. for Atlanta had been delayed until 9:54 a.m., but all other flights out, through early afternoon, were marked as “On Time.”
In an Oct. 11 article, Sarasota Magazine reported, “The airport is working with recovery contractors to replace the 76,000-square-foot roof [over Terminal B] with a temporary roof until permanent repairs can be made. Additionally, the gate areas are undergoing clean-up and remediation work,” which was necessary because water intrusion resulted in the wake of the roof damage.
The airport had closed at 4 p.m. on Oct. 8 as Hurricane Milton approached the state. “Our last flight has departed,” airport staff noted on the SRQ Facebook page.
An earlier post — at 8:49 a.m. on Oct. 8 — said that many flights out of SRQ already had been canceled.
On Oct. 11, American Airlines was among the commercial operations serving SRQ that said in a press release that it was “assessing damage” both at Sarasota Bradenton International and Tampa International. “Operations will resume when conditions permit,” American added.
Although The Sarasota News Leader found no date on a Southwest Airlines announcement online, that said, with emphasis, “Based on the ongoing infrastructure challenges from Hurricane Milton, our scheduled service to/from Sarasota/Bradenton, FL (SRQ) may be disrupted through Thursday, October 24 (flights may be delayed, diverted, and/or canceled).”
That announcement noted, “Customers holding reservations to/from Sarasota/Bradenton, FL through Thursday, October 24 who want to alter their travel plans may rebook or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying additional charges. “Additionally,” Southwest continued, “Customers holding reservations for a flight that is canceled or Customers who opt not to travel as a result of a significant delay may request a refund for the unused portion of their ticket. Alternatively, Customers may cancel the reservation and hold the value of the unused portion of the ticket as a flight credit that can be used to buy a future flight.”
On Oct. 12, on the SRQ Facebook page, airport staff did note the following:
- “All airport parking lots are open and operational,” as none of them was flooded. “Those who have vehicles parked there are able to retrieve their vehicles,” the post continued.
- “Rental car counters are open, but with limited staffing,” the post added. “Please contact the company directly for further information.
“We appreciate your patience!” the post concluded.
On Oct. 14, the SRQ staff posted an update on the airport’s Facebook page: “Clean-up & repairs are well underway at SRQ.”
Then, just after 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, the City of Sarasota reported on its Facebook page, “The repairs to the SRQ terminal roof have been successfully completed, and the terminal will reopen to the public at 6am on Wednesday, October 16th. Commercial flights will resume at 9am.”
Nonetheless, the post added, “SRQ International is encouraging passengers to check with their airline for flight status.”