Winter weather is wreaking havoc on airline schedules. Over 4,300 flights have been cancelled for Thursday, with over 9,200 more delayed, according to FlightAware, a plane tracking website. That was as of 11:30 a.m. ET—and the number is climbing steadily. (Compare that to 3,800 cancellations and 7,200 delays just two hours prior.)
Worse still, it could be several days before things get back to normal, as airlines struggle to get planes to hubs in areas other than the Northeast.
The delays come as a powerful winter storm, fueled by a bomb cyclone and another Arctic blast, pounds the Northeast with high winds, snow, and frigid temperatures.
Newark Airport (EWR) is the hardest hit, with 869 cancellations. Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS) has scrubbed 686 flights and LaGuardia (LGA) has cancelled 540. That’s having a spillover effect, with Chicago’s O’Hare International (ORD) canceling 158 and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) calling off 145 flights.
Fliers are urged to check with their carriers before heading to the PA’s airports tomorrow. More than 90 percent of LGA flights, more than 70 percent of Newark Liberty flights and 20 percent of JFK flights already are cancelled due to snow forecast.
— LaGuardia Airport: Rated Best Airport in its Class (@LGAairport) January 4, 2018
Weather conditions are affecting flights at #EWR. We strongly urge you to check with your carrier on the status of your flights. Thank you. Pic.twitter.com/bh9PqMF0EH
— Newark Liberty International Airport (@EWRairport) January 4, 2018
Most major airlines have waived change fees for travelers in impacted areas.
Due to the severe winter weather, Delta will proactively cancel more than 400 mainline and Delta Connection regional flights 1/3-1/4, primarily at JFK & LGA as well as BOS. Additional cancellations are possible as the storm moves north. Learn more: https://t.co/ERc3HXhhaF
— Delta (@Delta) January 3, 2018
Plan ahead as winter weather approaches the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast U.S. Please check your flight status on our mobile app or at https://t.co/7fA7qoLIsb before going to the airport. A travel waiver is in effect for changes: https://t.co/LxaCS8A5UU. Pic.twitter.com/SLRf53PuPe
— United Airlines (@united) January 3, 2018
We’ve got a travel alert in place for Winter Storm #Grayson. Stay warm, folks! Https://t.co/kNkPUilgez
— americanair (@AmericanAir) January 3, 2018
Other transportation companies are altering their schedules as well. Amtrak has cut back its Acela Express and Northeast Regional service during the storm. And Greyhound has cancelled service between several cities, including Boston, New York and Philadelphia.