Thousands of US flights disrupted as winter storm looms

Thousands of flights throughout the US have been cancelled or delayed because the northeast braces for a extreme winter storm throughout the peak vacation journey season.

As of Friday night time, 1,600 flights throughout the US had been cancelled and seven,400 had been delayed, in keeping with flight monitoring web site FlightAware.

The most affected airports are John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty, and LaGuardia, which all serve the New York space. Boston, Chicago, and Toronto, Canada, are additionally impacted.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from 16:00 native time (21:00 GMT) on Friday till 13:00 on Saturday, with as a lot as 9 inches (23cm) of snow anticipated in New York and southern Connecticut.

JetBlue Airways had cancelled 229 flights, whereas Delta Air Lines scrapped 241 flights. Republic Airways and Southwest Airlines cancelled 180 and 151 flights, respectively. Around 100 scheduled flights by American Airlines and United Airlines had been additionally cancelled.

On social media, airports had been warning travellers to verify with their airline to find out the standing of their flights.

The heaviest snow was anticipated between 18:00 native time (23:00 GMT) and midnight. Drivers had been warned of hazardous situations and suggested to deliver an emergency provide equipment.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated folks ought to keep away from pointless journeys, but when they needed to journey, they need to “plan ahead, take it slow, and leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go safely”.

There had been comparable warnings from the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut.

This would be the second vital snowfall of the season for New York City, which was blanketed with a number of inches on 14 December.

Mayor Eric Adams requested individuals who drove to work on Friday to depart early or think about taking public transport dwelling.

Snow ploughs had been deployed and able to start clearing streets as soon as two inches had collected.