Rescue flights leave for Florida

Hurricane Frances lashed parts of Florida over the weekend

Rescue flights are on their way to Florida to bring home thousands of British tourists left stranded by Hurricane Frances.

The main airports in the south of the US state reopened on Tuesday.

Airlines have resumed services to Orlando, Miami and Tampa to begin bringing back 6,000 British tourists stranded there over the last few days.

However, some flights to Barbados have been cut as another hurricane, Ivan, moves towards the Caribbean.

Virgin Atlantic sent out four scheduled services to Florida on Tuesday, with an extra four flights heading to Orlando.

There are about 3,000 tourists in Barbados at the moment Frances Tuke Association of British Travel Agents

Airline spokesman Paul Moore told BBC News Online further rescue flights may be scheduled later in the week if needed.

Thomas Cook Airlines sent rescue flights to Orlando from Manchester, Glasgow and Gatwick.

A British Airways spokesman said the airline had not scheduled extra flights to Florida, but has resumed its normal services to Orlando, Tampa and Miami.

Those airports were closed over the weekend as Hurricane Frances hit Florida, cutting power to six million people.

That left around 6,000 Britons on package tours stranded in the area. Most are expected to have returned home by Thursday.

Frances Tuke, Association of British Travel Agents spokeswoman, said: "It had been hoped to start flying out rescue flights on Monday but it now looks as if the last of the delayed Britons will not be back in the UK until Thursday morning."

New threat

Meanwhile, Hurricane Ivan is now threatening parts of the Caribbean and flights to Barbados have been suspended.

UK AIRLINE HELPLINES Thomas Cook: 0870 010 1806 Virgin: 08705 747747 British Airways : 08708 509850

Virgin Atlantic has cancelled its flight from Gatwick to Barbados, while BA has put back its service there by 24 hours.

BA's flight from Gatwick to Antigua is not continuing on to Grenada.

Ms Tuke said: "There are about 3,000 tourists in Barbados at the moment and we understand that Ivan could also hit Grenada and the Dominican Republic.

"Holiday companies are contacting clients in the Caribbean giving them up-to-date information about what's happening."

BA and Virgin Atlantic said they hoped to resume their Barbados service on Wednesday, but would be watching how Ivan developed.