Airlines cancel flights as snowstorm snarls Eastern US

Airlines are canceling flights across the country as a big winter storm heads towards the east coast.

According to the airline-tracking service FlightAware, airlines have canceled more than 6,000 flights within, into, or out of the US.

The KCI spokesman Joe McBride said American already had canceled its KCI flights to those destinations for Saturday. United suspended flights at its Washington Dulles Hub and in other mid-Atlantic airports starting Friday afternoon. American has also canceled all Saturday flights to all three Washington, D.C. area airports, all three NY airports and Philadelphia.

The cancelations were centred on Philadelphia, Washington, and NY, with airlines essentially shutting down all flights into those cities. Airlines hope to be fully back in business by Sunday afternoon.

Delta Airlines: Customers who face severe delays or cancellations are entitled to a refund but can also change their January 24-26 flight itinerary without paying a change fee or flight difference. FlightAware said that 292 flights have been canceled so far out of Newark, and 189 out of LaGuardia were canceled.

As wind and rain hit the Bay Area, and a possibly historic blizzard is set to rip across the East Coast, flights on Friday were canceled and delayed at San Francisco International Airport. More travelers are impacted but they aren’t stuck waiting in airports.

At the Springfield Branson national airport flights to places like Las Vegas Dallas and Chicago are still on time but Still, that doesn’t mean that these travelers won’t be up against some roadblocks as they go on their way. Last year, the NY area was expected to be clobbered by a massive blizzard that missed the city, unleashing its fury upon Boston instead. If the airline doesn’t have seats available on a later flight, or isn’t booking anyone onto flights, try another airline. Many airlines allow you to opt into an email or text-based notification system. You’ll pay long-distance rates, but might not have to wait.

“We’re going to be working to keep at least one runway clear just in case of flight diversions or an emergency”, airport spokeswoman Mary Flannery said.