1,000+ Flights Grounded by U.S. Airlines as Winter Storm Devin Hits Northeast
Air travel in the United States faced major disruptions on Friday as winter storm Devin caused widespread cancellations and delays during peak holiday travel. A total of 1,802 flights were canceled and 22,349 delayed as of 4:04 p.m. ET.
The National Weather Service issued warnings of winter storm Devin this afternoon which “will cause hazardous travel conditions for the Great Lakes into the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England today through Saturday morning.” “For areas farther north from upstate New York to the Tri-State area including New York City and Long Island, 4-8 inches of snowfall is forecast for late Friday into (the) night,” the Storm Prediction Center noted.
New York’s JFK, Newark Liberty, and LaGuardia airports warned travelers of potential delays or cancellations, with more than half of the disruptions occurring at these locations. JetBlue canceled 225 flights, Delta 212, Republic Airways 157, American Airlines 146, and United Airlines 97. Airlines have waived change fees for travelers needing to rebook.
Ahead of the storm, New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “As widespread snowfall is expected to start in New York City and its surrounding areas this evening, I will declare a State of Emergency to ensure that our agencies and local partners have the resources and tools they need to respond to the storm.”
New Jersey’s acting governor Tahesha Way said, “This storm will cause dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel. We are urging travelers to avoid travel during the storm and allow crews to tend to the roads.”
