Airlines in the US have canceled thousands of flights to and from airports on the country’s East Coast this weekend, as Winter Storm Hernando is expected to hit the region with heavy snow. The storm is expected to continue throughout Monday, with operations set to return to normal sometime on Tuesday.
While airlines have waived fees for ticket cancellations and changes, there will be widespread disruption in the coming days caused by the storm, which will take several days to recover from.
At the time of writing on Sunday, February 22, data from FlightAware indicates that a total of 2,733 flights have been cancelled to, from, and within the US today. In terms of the number of flights cancelled, the most impacted airport is (naturally) the busiest in the East Coast region, New York JFK Airport, with data showing a total of 651 flights to and from the airport. Reports by CNBC indicate that, thus far, airlines have canceled over 5,000 flights through Monday as Storm Hernando is set to impact the East Coast region, which encompasses several major hubs for US carriers.
With forecasts indicating snowfall of over two feet, low visibility, and wind gusts exceeding speeds of 40 miles per hour, the weather conditions are not ideal for reliable, regular flight operations, thus the need for service reductions. Other major airports affected (based on today’s cancellation data) include LaGuardia Airport (LGA) with 523 cancellations, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) with 376 canceled flights, Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) with 371 cancellations, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with 256 services canceled.