(Trends Wide) — Airlines have canceled thousands of flights as a powerful winter storm with high winds and snow heads toward major cities on the East Coast.
According to FlightAware, more than 3,500 flights in, to or from the United States were canceled as of 9:00 a.m. Saturday, with cities on the East Coast being the hardest hit.
Boston’s Logan Airport, which is a hub city for JetBlue and Delta Air Lines, has reported 300 cancellations. As of Saturday, JetBlue has eliminated nearly 70% of its flights. About 18% of American and 22% of United flights for Saturday were also canceled.
Republic Airways, a feeder airline that operates flights under the American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express names, canceled 60% of its itinerary on Saturday.
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New York City airports, including John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia, have more than 730 cancellations combined. Both airports have major operations for Delta, JetBlue and American. Newark Liberty in New Jersey, which is United’s hub, has 233 cancellations.
In addition to Saturday’s weather problems, 1,023 flights have already been canceled for Sunday, the website notes.
Delta, JetBlue and United have issued travel waivers to travelers flying out of multiple East Coast airports to rebook a flight without paying any difference in fare.
“Delta’s weather team at the airline’s customer service and operations center will continue to monitor winter weather and make any necessary tactical adjustments,” the airline said.
An American Airlines spokesman noted that “the storm is expected to have a significant impact on our Northeast operation, especially at Boston’s Logan International Airport.”
More than 1,400 cancellations were recorded on Friday, most at Chicago O’Hare airport.
The path of the storm, named nor’easter, will affect 75 million people from the Southeast to New England where they will face dangerously heavy snowfall and winds approaching hurricane intensity with the potential to knock out power, flood coastal areas and severely impair travel, data show. forecasts.
The storm is expected to unleash a double whammy of heavy snow and strong winds in parts of the Northeast, but the exact impact on the region remains in question.
“This storm is likely to strengthen at a rate and intensity equivalent to only the most powerful hurricanes, so the high-level potential of this storm cannot be underestimated,” said Trends Wide Meteorologist Brandon Miller. “But with the nor’eastersLike real estate, it’s going to come down to location, location, location.”
It’s been a rough few weeks for air travelers. Winter weather and surges in omicron cases caused 20,000 flights to be canceled in the US during the busy holiday season. As travel has increased, staff cuts have also left airlines with fewer employees than before the pandemic.
Ramishah Maruf of Trends Wide Business contributed to this report.
