Nervous fliers monitored the weather and scrambled to change plans on Thursday as forecasts showed a powerful blizzard heading towards the East Coast, one of the nation?s busiest travel corridors.
?This is going to be a monster storm,? warned TODAY meteorologist Al Roker. He expected up to a foot of snow to fall in New York City over the weekend, and more than two feet in Boston.
The system was already affecting Chicago?s O?Hare International, where snow and ice delayed arriving flights by more than two hours at one point on Thursday afternoon. More than 80 flights scheduled to depart from the airport were canceled, according to FlightAware.com.
Airlines and airports in the storm?s path were bracing for its impact.
?We?re monitoring the weather system closely and will adjust our operations accordingly,? said Allison Steinberg, a spokeswoman for JetBlue Airways.
Like most carriers, the airline is giving travelers the chance to reschedule their flights without paying any change and cancellation fees. (For a full list, scroll down to the bottom of the article.)
Delta Air Lines urged its passengers to take advantage of the waivers.
?Delta is closely monitoring conditions along the storm's forecast path and encourages customers to consider moving up, postponing or re-routing their travel to avoid possible inconvenience from expected flight delays,? the carrier said in a statement.
Southwest Airlines warned its passengers that flights could be ?delayed, diverted, or canceled.?
Meanwhile, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it is deploying extra personnel and taking all possible measures to handle any wintry conditions that may develop at JFK International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International.
The agency noted that its ?winter weather arsenal? includes more than 200 pieces of snow and ice equipment at the airports, including ?melters that can liquefy up to 500 tons of snow an hour? and plows that can clear snow at 40 mph.
Port Authority staff will work around-the-clock in 12-hour shifts during the most severe storms, officials said.
If you are scheduled to fly in the next couple of days, here is a list of airlines offering fee waivers due to the storm:
- American Airlines passengers traveling to, through or from Boston, New York, Montreal and more than 10 other airports can change their plans for free.
- Delta Air Lines? policy covers more than two dozen airports.
- JetBlue Airways will waive change and cancel fees and fare differences for travel to and from a dozen airports.
- Southwest Airlines passengers traveling to, through or from Boston, Newark, and several other cities are eligible to reschedule their flights for free.
- United Airlines' policy covers more than 30 airports.
- US Airways has also relaxed its change-fee policies.
Related: Northeast snowstorm could be among worst of all time
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/travelkit/travelers-airlines-airports-brace-monster-storm-1B8290274
Charles Durning Webster Ny Mcdonalds Restaurants Open on Christmas Day jessica simpson santa tracker happy holidays
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.