Winter storm snarls US travel, forces mass flight cancellations
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Over 3,600 flights were cancelled and 714 were delayed as at Jan 26 early morning.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – A powerful winter storm sweeping across much of the United States forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and delayed hundreds on Jan 26, as freezing rain and heavy snowfall disrupted travel and snarled transportation networks.
Over 3,600 flights were cancelled and 714 were delayed as at Jan 26 early morning, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, following more than 11,000 cancellations reported on Jan 25.
The number of cancellations and delays was expected to rise as the day progressed.
Low pressure south of New England is expected to move east over the Atlantic on Jan 26, bringing heavy snow to parts of the north-east and freezing rain across sections of the Mid-Atlantic, the US National Weather Service said.
Snow is also expected along the Appalachian region, while rain will spread along the south-east coast as a cold front moves offshore, the agency said.
American Airlines accounted for the largest share of disruptions on Jan 26, with nearly 570 flights cancelled and about 57 delayed, followed by Republic Airways, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines.
Boston’s Logan International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport were among the hardest hit.
Major US carriers rolled out sweeping travel waivers and flexible re-booking options to assist passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by the cancellations.
Airline operations are highly interconnected, meaning cancellations can leave aircraft and crews out of position, complicating efforts to restore normal flight schedules.
The storm also impeded road travel. The Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that driving conditions could become dangerous as blizzard-like conditions, strong winds and ice spread further.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of customers across several US states, from Tennessee to the Carolinas, reported power outages, with Tennessee reporting the highest number of cases.
More than 820,000 customers were without electricity as of early hours on Jan 26, according to data from PowerOutage.us. REUTERS
