Airlines are advising travellers with plans for later this week and this weekend to keep checking their websites for updates in relation to Hurricane Gonzalo.

The storm is forecast to reach Bermuda, potentially as a Category 4 hurricane, by Friday lunchtime, with the weather likely to worsen overnight on Thursday.

Already, one airline is reporting a sold-out flight for Thursday, perhaps as a result of customers buying or changing their tickets in advance of the storm.

WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer told The Royal Gazette: “There are only a few seats available for today’s flight from BDA to YYZ (Toronto Pearson International Airport) and the same is true for Sunday.

“The flight on Thursday is sold out. I’m not able to see when those seats were sold but given that this is mid-October and we’re in the ‘shoulder season’ for travel in general, it’s likely we’ve seen a spike in demand with word of the storm approaching.”

The airline operates its Toronto flight to and from Bermuda on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Mr Palmer pointed customers to a travel advisory on WestJet’s website for Sunday’s flight at http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/travel/basics/security-travel-alert/travel-alert.shtml.

He added: “Given how full today and Thursday’s flights are, it’s likely that guests have already moved from that Sunday flight departure.”

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said the airline didn’t normally comment on the performance of particular routes but added: “I can tell you the flights are usually quite full anyway already between Bermuda and Toronto.

“We are monitoring the progress of the storm but at this point all flights are still scheduled to operate.

“Customers should consult and keep an eye on our website where we post travel advisories through a link on the home page with respect to disruptions due to weather or other factors and we notify people about the relaxation of our booking policy so they can change or cancel travel at no cost.”

British Airways spokeswoman Sallie Singleton advised travellers to keep checking www.ba.com for the latest information on flights to and from London Gatwick.

She would not comment on whether BA had seen an upsurge in people trying to book flights off the Island before the storm hits as she said it was the airline’s policy not to disclose such information.

Other airlines likely to be affected this week are American Airlines/US Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and United Airlines.

Category 4 is the second-highest hurricane classification category on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale and storms of this intensity maintain maximum sustained winds of 130 to 156 miles per hour.