Hurricane Melissa: Storm worries travelers

Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday, is worrying travellers leaving Montreal-Trudeau airport for vacations to sunny destinations.

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"Melissa", which has been downgraded to category 3, is currently hitting the eastern part of the island of Cuba.

Regional warnings have been issued by the Government of Canada for travellers who want to go to eastern Cuban provinces such as Santiago, Holguin or Guantanamo.

Screenshot from TVA News

In Jamaica, they advise against all travel there, even though the hurricane has already passed.

In addition, Air Transat has carried out a repatriation operation for travelers in Jamaica and Cuba in recent days.

One flight was operated from Montego Bay, Jamaica on October 25 and three from Holguin, Cuba on October 27.

Air Transat also mentions that very few of their customers remain in these two countries.

While some travellers did not hesitate to book a trip, others had a little more concern.

"We were due, if we leave, we'll leave for the afterlife," a traveler interviewed by TVA Nouvelles humorously remarked.

One couple decided to leave anyway since they did not receive any recommendations from their carrier.

"We haven't heard from them, so no news is good news. At first we were looking at Jamaica and the Bahamas, so we consider ourselves lucky to have chosen the Dominican Republic," they summarized to TVA Nouvelles.

Flights to Cuba may be disrupted or cancelled in the coming days and it is strongly advised to check the details with your airline.

Montego Bay International Airport in Cuba is closed for the day due to the hurricane.

After hitting Cuba, "Melissa" will head towards Bermuda and the Bahamas.

- With information from Andy St-André