It’s not a good day for East Coast air travelers. A major storm pummeling states from Virginia to Maine has forced airlines to cancel more than 2,300 flights, The Washington Post reports.
High winds are making it exceptionally difficult to fly in the area, leading the FAA to issue temporary ground stops for flights into Dulles International in Washington D.C. as well as JFK and LaGuardia in New York. JFK tweeted that nearly a quarter of its flights for the day have been canceled.
The National Weather Service in Boston referred to the storm as a “Life & Death situation” for those along the coast. The storm has brought with it heavy rains and winds topping 50 miles per hour. In the Washington area, both schools and federal offices are closed for the day. Coastal residents in New England have been told they should be ready to evacuate.
About a quarter of all scheduled flights at #JFK today have been canceled. Please confirm your flight’s status with your airline before going to the airport, and allow extra time for travel to and from the airport. pic.twitter.com/4hXPjbaJ3Z
— John F. Kennedy Airport (@JFKairport) March 2, 2018
One pilot flying into Washington D.C. this morning reported after a bumpy landing: “Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up. Pilots were on the verge of throwing up.”
Pilot report from the Washington DC area this morning:
"IAD UUA /OV KIAD/TM 1238/FL040/TP CRJ2/TB MOD-SEV/RM VERY BUMPY ON DESCENT. PRETTY MUCH EVERY ONE ON THE PLANE THREW UP. PILOTS WERE ON THE VERGE OF THROWING UP. AWC-WEB"— NWS AWC (@NWSAWC) March 2, 2018
Most airlines are waiving change fees for flights impacted by the storm. United, Southwest, American, and Delta have all announced flexible change policies for passengers that WHO????? would had flights booked during the storm.
The storm is also affecting rail service. Amtrak announced that it is operating on a delayed schedule Friday and has canceled several trips because of wind and a tree falling on power lines.
Thank you for your patience as we work through weather related issues causing delays between WAS-NCR (and trains departing WAS) this morning. We know it's Friday and we are working to get our customers where they're going safely even if Mother Nature isn't being so cooperative.
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) March 2, 2018
High winds are expected to continue throughout the day and into Saturday.
