More than 1,500 flights have been cancelled or delayed across the United States due to winter storm Devin, according to airline monitoring website FlightAware, dealing a significant blow to air travel during the peak holiday period.
A total of 1,581 flights “within, into or out of” the US were cancelled and 6,883 delayed as of 4:00 pm US Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday, FlightAware reported. The company describes itself as the world’s largest flight-tracking data provider.
The disruptions came as the US National Weather Service warned that winter storm Devin was creating “hazardous travel conditions”, with heavy snowfall forecast across parts of the Midwest and the north-east, Al Jazeera reported.
More than 40 million Americans were under winter storm warnings or weather advisories on Friday, while an additional 30 million were affected by flood or storm advisories in California. There, a so-called atmospheric river has brought torrential rainfall.
New York City, the largest city in the US, was bracing for up to 250 mm (10 inches) of snow overnight on Friday — the heaviest snowfall expected in four years. Temperatures were forecast to fall further over the weekend as an Arctic blast was expected to move south from Canada.
New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport warned travellers of possible delays and cancellations. According to FlightAware, more than half of all flight cancellations and delays occurred at these three airports.
JetBlue Airways cancelled 225 flights on Friday, the highest number among US carriers, followed closely by Delta Air Lines, which cancelled 212 flights. Republic Airways cancelled 157 flights, while American Airlines and United Airlines cancelled 146 and 97 flights respectively.
“Due to winter storm Devin, JetBlue has cancelled approximately 350 flights today and tomorrow, primarily in the north-east where JetBlue has a large operation,” a JetBlue spokesperson told the Reuters news agency.
Meanwhile, on the US west coast, powerful winter storms have brought the wettest Christmas season to Southern California in 54 years.
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