Winter weather is wreaking havoc on airline schedules. Over 4,300 flights have been cancelled for Thursday, with over 9,200 more delayed, according to FlightAware, a plane tracking website. That was as of 11:30 a.m. ET—and the number is climbing steadily. (Compare that to 3,800 cancellations and 7,200 delays just two hours prior.)
Worse still, it could be several days before things get back to normal, as airlines struggle to get planes to hubs in areas other than the Northeast.
The delays come as a powerful winter storm, fueled by a bomb cyclone and another Arctic blast, pounds the Northeast with high winds, snow, and frigid temperatures.
Newark Airport (EWR) is the hardest hit, with 869 cancellations. Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS) has scrubbed 686 flights and LaGuardia (LGA) has cancelled 540. That’s having a spillover effect, with Chicago’s O’Hare International (ORD) canceling 158 and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) calling off 145 flights.
Most major airlines have waived change fees for travelers in impacted areas.
Other transportation companies are altering their schedules as well. Amtrak has cut back its Acela Express and Northeast Regional service during the storm. And Greyhound has cancelled service between several cities, including Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
