Delta Air Lines announced on September 4th that it would be contributing $250,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Dorian relief in the Bahamas. This is in addition to the airline's $1 million grant as an Annual Disaster Giving Program partner. Through the contribution, the American Red Cross will provide financial support to the Bahamas Red Cross. Supplies, technical assistance and staff will be sent in addition to funds.The press release included a quote from Tad Hutcheson, Delta's Managing Director of Community Engagement:

"Delta stands in support of the people affected by Hurricane Dorian. We are grateful to have partners like the American Red Cross and to be able to contribute to experts that specialize in disaster response year-round and can help provide immediate assistance to those in need."

More than just the money

Delta also announced that its employees and customers are also contributing to the Red Cross efforts regarding Hurricane Dorian damage. Here are some of those methods:

• Delta has a microsite with the American Red Cross for those who wish to make a donation under the banner of being a Delta customer.
• Delta customers are also invited to donate their frequent flyer miles to the Red Cross through SkyWish. SkyMiles donations through this program are distributed to select charities worldwide.
• Delta employees participate in corporate blood drives. According to the airline, this makes Delta the "largest corporate sponsor of American Red Cross blood drives with 13,064 pints collected in the fiscal year 2019 (year end June 30th)".

The latest on Delta operations around Hurricane Dorian

On September 5th, Delta issued an extensive press release with plans for a Friday restart at various airports across North and South Carolina. This includes:

• Charleston, S.C.
• Hilton Head Island, S.C.
• Myrtle Beach, S.C.
• New Bern, N.C.
• Jacksonville, N.C.
• Wilmington, N.C.

This announcement is in addition to a previous update which said that the airline resumed flights in Melbourne, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida as well as Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia yesterday.

Destruction in the Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian has had a devastating impact in the Bahamas. When the storm passed over the Bahamas, it was at peak strength - labeled a Category 5 storm. As a result of the damage, the Bahamian airports of Marsh Harbour and Freeport will remain closed for several months. The official re-opening dates are to be December 4th and December 6th, respectively. Flights to the airports of Georgetown and Nassau will continue as scheduled.

Other airline contributions

American Airlines also announced that it would be sending over 16,000 pounds of relief aid. 14,000 pounds of that aid from American was sent via a Boeing 737 from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. The jet was full of relief supplies to help those affected by the hurricane. Prior to the storm's arrival, American had also sent 2,000 pounds of relief supplies to the islands.

United Airlines' contribution is a little different from their counterparts. In fact, it provided flight services for search and rescue experts from the group Empact Northwest:

Have your travel plans been affected by Hurricane Dorian? We've written up a guide on what to do.