US airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights due to winter storm Devin
Due to winter storm Devin during the busiest holiday travel period, airlines in the US canceled or postponed thousands of flights on Friday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, while other states limited commercial road traffic in preparation for snowfall.
According to the website, as of 4:04 p.m. ET, 22,349 flights were delayed and 1,802 planes were canceled.
During the afternoon, the National Weather Service warned of winter storm Devin, which “will cause hazardous travel conditions for the Great Lakes into the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England today through Saturday morning.”
The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service posted on its official website that 4–8 inches of snowfall are expected for late Friday into (the) night in areas further north from upstate New York to the Tri-State area, which includes New York City and Long Island.
Posts on X from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport alerted travelers about possible cancellations or delays.
According to FlightAware, these three airports accounted for over half of all airline delays and cancellations.
Among the carriers, JetBlue Airways has canceled the most flights—225—followed closely by Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), which has canceled 212.
American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue representatives told Reuters that the airlines have waived change fees for rebooking passengers whose plans may be impacted.
“Due to winter storm Devin, JetBlue has canceled approximately 350 flights today and tomorrow, primarily in the Northeast where JetBlue has a large operation,” a spokeswoman for JetBlue stated.
Requests for comment from Republic and Delta Air Lines were not immediately answered by Reuters.
A state of emergency was imposed in New Jersey and New York starting Friday afternoon in anticipation of the winter storm.
“As widespread snowfall is expected to start in New York City and its surrounding areas this evening, I will declare a State of Emergency to ensure that our agencies and local partners have the resources and tools they need to respond to the storm,” the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, announced.
Commercial vehicles are prohibited on a number of roadways, including major interstate highways, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“This storm will impact holiday travel and create hazardous road conditions,” warned Tahesha Way, the acting governor of New Jersey, in a statement. “We are urging travelers to avoid travel during the storm and allow crews to tend to the roads.”
