Northeast winter storm cancels more than 1,500 U.S. flights, thousands more delayed
Several U.S. airlines, including Jet Blue, Delta, American Airlines and Southwest, were among those most affected
‘Kennedy’ panelists discuss the administration’s climate agenda following the devastation in the heartland.
More than 1500 flights were canceled and thousands more were delayed Sunday after a major winter storm swept the northeast United States.
Winter Storm Kenan caused 1,544 cancellations of flights within, into, or out of the U.S. and another 3,248 delays for other flights according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.
Several U.S. airlines, including Jet Blue, Delta, American Airlines and Southwest, were among those most affected by the cancelations and jointly opted to waive cancelation fees associated with travel.
Jet Blue
Jet Blue announced it would waive fees for any people who were on any of its 284 canceled flights on Sunday. Another 359 flights were delayed the same day. The company already canceled over 100 flights scheduled for Monday.
"JetBlue will waive change/cancel fee for customers traveling Tuesday, December 28, 2021, through Monday, January 31, 2022 to/from: All cities," Jet Blue said in a travel advisory on its website.
Another advisory listed 18 airports and cities that were affected by the delays from Jan. 28 to Jan. 29, including Albany, NY (ALB), Boston, MA (BOS), Buffalo, NY (BUF), Burlington, VT (BTV), Charlotte, NC (CLT), Hartford, CT (BDL), New York, NY (JFK), New York, NY (LGA), Newark, NJ (EWR), Philadelphia, PA (PHL), Providence, RI (PVD), Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU), Richmond, VA (RIC), Rochester, NY (ROC), Syracuse, NY (SYR), Washington, DC (DCA), Westchester County, NY (HPN), and Worcester, MA (ORH).
American Airlines (top) and JetBlue (bottom) experienced flight cancelations and delays due to a winter storm. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
Delta
Delta Air Lines similarly waived fares and fees associated with flight cancelations as they proactively canceled flights ahead of the storm.
"Given the severity of the forecast snowfall and high velocity winds in New York City and Boston, Delta will suspend operations at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty and Boston Logan airports Saturday through Sunday morning – as airfields and ground transportation infrastructure are expected to be impacted," the company wrote on its website.
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"Delta teams are focused on a safe and orderly restart of operations at these airports and others in the Northeast Sunday afternoon, depending on conditions. As always, Delta teams are working closely with all airport and aviation partners throughout the region," it added.
UNITED STATES - JULY 20: A Delta Air Lines plane taxis toward a gate between other Delta planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, U.S., on Monday, July 20, 2009. (Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images) CHICAGO - APRIL 3 … (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg /Scott Olson / Getty Images)
The company said it canceled 240 flights on Friday, 750 flights on Saturday, and 300 flights on Sunday (FlightAware.com reported 221 flights were delayed Sunday, while another 273 were delayed).
The flights were canceled in Allentown, PA (ABE), Asheville, NC (AVL), Baltimore, MD (BWI), Bangor, ME (BGR), Boston, MA (BOS), Charleston, SC (CHS), Charleston, WV (CRW), Charlotte, NC (CLT), Charlottesville, VA (CHO), Columbia, SC (CAE), Fayetteville, NC (FAY), Greensboro, NC (GSO), Greenville, SC (GSP), Hartford, CT (BDL), Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR), New York - Kennedy, NY (JFK), New York - LaGuardia, NY (LGA), Newark, NJ (EWR), Norfolk, VA (ORF), Philadelphia, PA (PHL), Portland, ME (PWM), Providence, RI (PVD), Raleigh, NC (RDU), Richmond, VA (RIC), Tri-Cities, TN (TRI), Washington D.C. - Dulles (IAD), Washington D.C. - Reagan (DCA), and White Plains, NY (HPN), the company said.
American Airlines
American Airlines canceled nearly 200 flights Sunday but is expected to return to normal operations for Monday.
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"We're working as quickly as possible to assist customers affected by the winter storm. If you need help, many trips are also eligible to change online. Stay warm, everyone!" the company tweeted Friday.
American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft as seen departing at take off and flying phase from Athens International Airport ATH LGAV near the Greek capital. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The airline issued a travel warning for travelers at 47 different airports, from as far south as Florence, South Carolina (FLO) to as far north as Portland, Maine (PWM).
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The U.S. comprised just over 38 percent of the total flights around the world that were delayed and about 50 percent of the flights that were canceled, according to the flight-tracking website.