More Than a Thousand Flights Canceled, Hundreds Delayed Amid Northeast Snowstorm — What Travelers Need to Know

13.02.2024 - 16:39 / travelandleisure.com / Spirit Airlines / John F.Kennedy / United Airlines

Winter weather is back as a Nor’easter is underway, bringing one of the largest snowstorms of the season from the mid-Atlantic to New England — resulting in travel troubles for air passengers on Tuesday.

The numbers are staggering, with more than 1,400 flights canceled and another nearly 700 delayed as of Tuesday morning within the United States,  according to data from flight tracker FlightAware. 

New York-area airports take the lead, particularly at LaGuardia Airport, where 43 percent of departing flights have already been canceled for the day. Boston Logan International Airport operations have also been severely impacted, with 27 percent of flights canceled.  

Travelers who are set to fly today should check their airline’s app for the latest departure information. Domestic carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines, have issued travel advisories, waiving change fees and fare differences to postpone flights. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 9 a.m. ET, but has warned that several ground stops or delay programs may take effect after 11 a.m. ET at the following airports: Boston, Newark, New York-LaGuardia, Teterboro, Philadelphia, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan, and Baltimore.

Many of these airports also have deicing measures in place, impacting aircraft turnaround times. As of Tuesday morning, regional carriers Republic and Endeavor Air have both canceled 32 percent of flights, while JetBlue takes the lead for major domestic airlines, with two of its hubs based in Boston and New York, per FlightAware.

The New York City area is set to be the most impacted by the winter weather, which started late Monday night as freezing rain and amounted to 1.4 inches of snow by early Tuesday morning, according to Reuters. A winter storm watch is in effect until 6 p.m. Tuesday evening by the New York City Emergency Management Department, as roughly five to eight inches of snowfall is expected over the course of the day.

Below-freezing temperatures and arctic wind chills sweep the rest of the country stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest, Reuters also reported.