Hurricane Milton affect your flight? What to expect from your airline.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Hurricane Milton, now Category 4, is nearing Florida and expected to make landfall a fortnight after Helene. Nearly 700 U.S. flights are canceled Tuesday and more than 1,500 are already canceled for Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have issued waivers allowing travelers going to or from some Florida airports to change their tickets for no extra charge, even if they purchased a basic economy fare. Customers can check their airline’s website for specific details on travel advisories. 
Under Department of Transportation rules, anyone whose flight was canceled is eligible for a refund. However, they aren’t entitled to any compensation for delays due to the storm since weather is outside airline control.
Several area airports, including Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, will suspend operations Tuesday, while Orlando International Airport plans to wind down operations on Wednesday morning.
Here’s what travelers should know about their rights when flight disruptions arise.
Yes. The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled for any reason. Customers may be entitled to additional compensation if a cancellation is within the airline’s control. Weather, again, is outside their control.
According to the DOT’s consumer dashboard, if Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue or United cancel a flight for controllable reasons, they’re committed to:
Allegiant, Southwest, and Spirit will do all of the above, except they do not rebook customers on partner airlines.
Frontier will not rebook travelers on other airlines, cover a hotel or provide transportation to a hotel for overnight cancellations.
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Federal laws do not require airlines to compensate travelers for delayed flights, but carriers have committed to various degrees of compensation for significant delays within their control. Each airline defines significant delays differently, and weather does not count.
If a flight is significantly delayed for reasons within their control, Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue and United offer:
Allegiant, Hawaiian, Southwest and Spirit do not rebook travelers on partner airlines, but offer the rest of the above. Additionally, Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest also offer additional compensation when the flight is delayed by three or more hours for controllable reasons.
Frontier will offer rebooking on the same airlines and a meal, but no hotel accommodations, transportation, or booking on other airlines.
Airlines will sometimes offer compensation beyond what they’ve formally committed to with the Department of Transportation.
For instance, according to Delta’s Customer Commitment, “Delta representatives are empowered with the flexibility and discretion to issue the following forms of compensation for passenger inconvenience when individual circumstances warrant doing so: cash equivalents (e.g., gift cards), travel credits/vouchers, and/or miles for SkyMiles members.”
Travel insurance and certain credit card protections can also help offset costs tied to covered cancellations and delays.
Contributing: Josh Rivera, USA TODAY