New York is experiencing a widespread blizzard, completely shutting down the city and its air traffic. The winter storm has resulted in more than 5,000 flights being cancelled.
Airline Disruptions
On Monday Feb. 23, as many as 80-90% of flights were cancelled, according to the BBC, at the city’s three main airports after a blizzard dumped nearly two feet of snow across five boroughs and surrounding areas. In total, 5,598 domestic and international flights across the U.S. were grounded.
International services have similarly been affected. Air India suspended operations through at least Feb. 24, citing unsafe airport conditions caused by heavy snowfall and poor runway visibility.
Airlines Feel The Financial Freeze
Major carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and JetBlue Airways, have cancelled large portions of their schedules and issued travel waivers. While necessary, these measures result in lost ticket revenue, aircraft and crew displacement, and additional customer service costs. Even after snowfall eases, recovery will take days as airlines reposition fleets and clear passenger backlogs.
The immediate weather threat may soon pass, but airlines have warned that disruption will linger, urging passengers to check flight statuses before travelling to the airport and to make use of flexible rebooking policies and travel waivers.
With aircraft and crews still out of position and backlogs to clear, operations at New York’s major airports are expected to normalise only gradually. As one of the world’s busiest aviation gateways, disruption in New York sends shockwaves through domestic and international networks alike.
Have you been affected by this snowstorm? Let us know your story.
