Mid-Atlantic Travel Chaos: Winter Storm Unleashes Snow and Ice Fury

Snowfall, slick roads, and freezing temperatures due to a storm sweeping through the Mid-Atlantic region on Monday hampered a return to normalcy for countless individuals after the two-week Christmas break. Aside from shutting down offices and educational institutions, the storm also disrupted travel across areas of the country with numerous train and flight delays and cancellations.

Travel conditions proved especially harsh in Washington, where Ronald Reagan National Airport shut down all runways on Monday evening, a distressing occurrence during a uniquely busy week for the capital. Earlier on Monday, Congress ratified President-elect Donald J. Trump’s triumph in one of its initial acts as the new year began, and on Thursday, the funeral of President Jimmy Carter is set to take place at Washington National Cathedral.

According to FlightAware, a flight tracking service, the storm led to over 9,000 flights, spanning from Texas to New York, being delayed or called off. Airports in the Greater Washington, D.C., area suffered the most, with more than 80 percent of the departures from National Airport canceled. The airport stated that it ceased operations on runways to allow crews to prioritize snow clearance ahead of further temperature drops. Emily McGee, a spokesperson for the airport, mentioned that while terminals would stay open with restricted services, the runways would likely remain shut until Tuesday morning.

In the baggage claim area at National, exhausted passengers formed queues to file lost luggage claims with their airlines. Others were seated on their bags, on the floor, and on the luggage carousel, checking their phones, making calls, or attempting to catch a few moments of sleep.

Philadelphia International Airport and Kennedy International Airport in New York utilized ground stops throughout the day to control air traffic and prevent airports from becoming overwhelmed, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. More than 400 delayed departures were recorded at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and the total of delayed flights increased at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Among the airlines most affected were American Airlines, which experienced over 1,000 delayed flights, equivalent to 30 percent of its daily routes, and Southwest Airlines, which had more than 990 flights delayed, or 27 percent of its daily itinerary, according to FlightAware. Additionally, Southwest canceled over 500 flights.

Southwest, Delta Air Lines, and other carriers provided travel waivers enabling customers to adjust their bookings without incurring change fees through numerous cities impacted by winter conditions.

The advisory, however, did not assist Nick Grimaldi, who was meant to fly from Jamaica to his home in Virginia Beach, Va., on Monday with his family after a holiday trip. Their 2 p.m. flight departing from Montego Bay and bound for Baltimore-Washington International Airport faced multiple delays and was eventually canceled. Their connecting flight to Norfolk, Va., where their vehicle is parked, was also called off. His children will lose at least another day of school. Mr. Grimaldi expressed frustration that Southwest had not canceled their flight to Baltimore sooner, particularly while other airlines still had available flights. Now, he noted, he’ll spend the entire night attempting to secure flights to return home tomorrow.

“Today has been quite the roller coaster. We felt as though everything was under control while leaving the resort,” Mr. Grimaldi, 47, conveyed in a direct message via social media. “Southwest needs to improve its procedures and allow passengers to get out of their flights once things are not proceeding as planned, especially when the snowstorm was anticipated all along.”

Train services were also greatly affected. Amtrak canceled numerous trains in the Northeast and Midwest due to harsh winter conditions and equipment malfunctions. Key destinations impacted included Boston, Washington, New York, Chicago, and Raleigh, N.C.

One air traveler in Washington remained relatively unbothered, despite her flight plans from National Airport undergoing numerous reschedules over two days. Aleena Shahan, a resident of Richmond, Va., intended to fly to Cincinnati on Delta Sunday evening for work, but her initial flight, followed by three others on Monday, was canceled. She is currently staying with family and has been scheduled for another flight on Tuesday morning.

”Delta has been pretty effective with rebooking us,” she remarked.

Travel disruptions were anticipated to persist throughout Monday evening. The National Weather Service indicated that Washington and Baltimore could experience additional light snowfall as the storm continues its path, and regions in New England may see snowfall in the subsequent days. Another winter storm is expected to impact Texas later this week.

Chris Cameron contributed reporting from Washington.

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