I'm on the Texas / Lousiana border and have been watching it closely. While it is still quite a distance out all projections are that it will make landfall Thursday afternoon between Texas and New Orleans. I would be surprised if you would be able to fly into New Orleans if in fact that is the path it takes. There would be too much wind for one and I would expect there to be more flooding (they are just now recovering from all the water Isadore left). The upside is while the flight might be like a roller coaster ride the pilots don't usually take chances landing in hurricane winds! Expect a big chance of being diverted. (oh, be sure to find the barf bag early! )