Airlines in the United States have canceled or delayed thousands of flights as a severe winter storm started to barrel down on the country’s Northeast early on Saturday, disrupting a busy travel period between Christmas and New Year’s.
While over 1,700 commercial flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were canceled on Friday, more than 9,200 flights were delayed, according to data from FlightAware, which monitors flight delays and cancellations worldwide.
Saturday’s cancellations and delays reached 657 and 2,448, respectively. The three major airports serving the New York City area, John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, and LaGuardia, posted snow warnings on the social media site X, as the trio contributed to most of the flight cancellations on Friday.
American Airlines (AAL), United Airlines (UAL), and JetBlue Airways (JBLU) have waived change fees normally charged for rebooking customers whose flights were impacted by weather-related disruptions, Reuters reported, citing company representatives.
On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Acting Governor Tahesha Way issued emergency declarations in response to the incoming winter storm.
According to industry lobby group Airlines for America, U.S. carriers expect to fly a record 52.6M Americans between Dec. 19 and Jan. 5, averaging 2.9M travelers daily, with Dec. 28 being among the busiest days for air travel.