Airlines in the U. S. have cancelled nearly 5,000 flights ahead of the Nor'easter
Key takeaways:
- Thousands of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday in advance of a winter storm expected to hit the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with high winds and heavy snow.
- The storm has exacerbated the airline industry's problems, which are still dealing with the turbulence caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Thousands of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday in anticipation of a winter storm expected to bring high winds and heavy snow to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
According to the National Weather Service, the Nor'easter will cause dangerous blizzards and make travel "nearly impossible." According to flight-tracking service FlightAware, approximately 4,900 flights in the United States were canceled between Friday and Sunday.
Delta Air Lines will suspend operations at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in New York, Newark Liberty airport in New Jersey, and Logan Airport in Boston from Saturday morning to Sunday morning.
From Friday to Sunday, the Atlanta-based airline canceled 1,290 flights. Customers who had planned to travel at the time we're given the option of rescheduling to a different flight at no additional cost.
"Depending on conditions, Delta teams are concentrated on a safe and orderly restart of operations at these airports as well as others in the Northeast Sunday afternoon," the company stated in a statement.
Similarly, American Airlines has canceled about 1,160 flights because the storm is expected to have a "significant" impact on its Northeast operations, particularly at Logan Airport. Passengers affected can rebook their flights without incurring any change fees.
Based in New York, JetBlue has canceled approximately 500 flights through Sunday, along with half of its Saturday flights.
According to FlightAware, United Airlines has cut 21% of its Saturday flights.
The storm has added to the airline industry's difficulties, which is still dealing with the effects of the Omicron coronavirus variant's turbulence. Carriers have been pushed to cancel flights due to increased COVID-19 infections among employees.
Southwest Airlines Co stated on Thursday that the virus had infected about 5,000 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, in the 1st 3 weeks of January. This month, the company has canceled more than 5,600 flights, costing it an estimated $50 million in revenue.