ORLANDO, Fla. — As people in Puerto Rico try to escape the devastation there, demand for flights from the island is driving up prices.

Some one-way flights from Puerto Rico to Orlando are costing passengers several hundred dollars or up to a couple of thousand dollars for a single ticket.

The leader of one Central Florida church that assists the Hispanic community is urging airlines to manually override ticket prices that automatically soar with increasing demand.

“The airlines would’ve sold these tickets for $100, $180, sometimes they would’ve sold them for $80, and they would’ve made a profit,” said Reverend Jose Rodriguez, pastor of The Episcopal Church of Jesus of Nazareth.

“I’m hoping someone with the airlines overrides these algorithms and sells the tickets for what they normally would go for, and not profit over human fear and suffering,” he added.

Central Florida resident Milagro Escobar said she and her family had to pool their financial resources to come up with enough money to fly family living in Puerto Rico back to Central Florida.

The flights cost them several thousand dollars, but some of her family needed to get out of Puerto Rico for medical reasons.

“What I feel is that airlines should understand what is going on, should be more understanding and have the flights less so we can get our families here,” said Escobar.

Several airlines are waiving fees for changes to reservations to and from Puerto Rico.  ​