Brief flight, Amtrak delays following NYC-area earthquake

05.04.2024 - 17:37 / thepointsguy.com / John F.Kennedy

Flights at New York City-area airports were briefly disrupted following a minor earthquake on Friday that set Northeast residents on edge.

There were no immediate reports of damage following the 4.8 magnitude quake at 10:23 a.m. Friday morning, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management, although tremors could be felt at least as far south as Baltimore and as far north as Boston. The earthquake's epicenter was in Lebanon, New Jersey, about 50 miles west of New York City, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

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Arriving flights into New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) were briefly delayed at their departure points following the quake, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. Speaking at a press conference, Jackie Bray, commissioner of New York's Division of Homeland Security, said that crews were inspecting air traffic control facilities for any signs of damage.

Flights at LaGuardia were not delayed. Kathryn Garcia, director of state operations, said that it was likely because the air traffic control facilities at that airport were newer and less likely to sustain damage.

By 11:30 a.m., flights bound for JFK were departing as usual, although flights going to Newark that had not yet departed were being held at their locations until at least 12:30 p.m., the FAA said in a ground stop notice. Flights headed to Newark that were already airborne appeared to be continuing as normal, and flights from all three airports continued to depart without any significant interruption.

Amtrak said that it was inspecting its tracks along the Northeast corridor, and that train speeds were restricted as inspections were carried out.

The city's subway system did not sustain any damage and there were no service interruptions related to the quake, the New York Police Department's chief of transit said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Stay tuned to TPG for the latest on the travel impacts of this morning's earthquake.

Sean Cudahy contributed reporting.