Sept 26 (Reuters) - Airlines in the United States have

canceled or delayed thousands of flights on Thursday, as a

strengthening hurricane Helene is expected to make a landfall in

the Florida big bend this evening.

A total of 1,038 flights were canceled and 1,672 delayed as

of 11:59 A.M. ET, according to flight tracking website

FlightAware.

Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) has canceled 201 flights, the

most among the carriers, closely followed by American Airlines ( AAL )

and Delta Air Lines ( DAL ).

Officials have issued dire warnings and urged residents in

coastal areas along the hurricane's path to evacuate ahead of

catastrophic winds and a potentially deadly storm surge.

Airports across impacted regions such as Tampa

International, Orlando International and Fort Lauderdale

International have also put out posts on X warning travelers of

potential delays or cancellations.

American Airlines ( AAL ) has issued a travel advisory for airports

situated around Southeast U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. JetBlue ( JBLU )

and Southwest Airlines ( LUV ), too, have issued similar

advisories.