1,802 flights cancelled, 22,349 delayed: winter storm turns disastrous, commercial road traffic halted
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Winter storm ‘Devin’ has severely disrupted air travel across the United States during the peak holiday travel period. On Friday, several airlines cancelled or delayed thousands of flights, while some states imposed restrictions on commercial road traffic due to the threat of heavy snowfall. The situation caused major inconvenience for travellers nationwide.
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, as of 4:04 pm (ET) on Friday, a total of 1,802 flights were cancelled and 22,349 flights were delayed. The US National Weather Service has issued warnings related to winter storm Devin until Saturday afternoon.
Winter storm alerts in several states
As per weather forecasts, areas ranging from upstate New York to the tri-state region including New York City and Long Island could receive between 4 and 8 inches of snowfall by late Friday night. Airports including John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport issued alerts on social media platform X, warning passengers about possible delays and cancellations. FlightAware data shows that more than half of the country’s flight cancellations and delays were recorded at these three airports alone.
Airlines cancel thousands of flights
Among airlines, JetBlue Airways cancelled the highest number of flights at 225. Delta Air Lines followed with 212 cancellations, Republic Airways with 157, American Airlines with 146, and United Airlines with 97 flights cancelled. Spokespersons for American Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue told news agency Reuters that change fees were waived for affected passengers to allow easier rebooking.
Even before the storm intensified, New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency from Friday afternoon. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that heavy snowfall was expected in and around New York City by evening. She stated that the emergency declaration was made to ensure agencies and local administrations had the necessary resources and equipment to deal with the storm effectively.