According to Reuters, U.S. airlines on Thursday began to cut flights at East Coast airports and made plans to move aircraft from the region due to approaching Hurricane Irene. Airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights from Friday through Monday, according to the online flight tracking service Flightaware.com…
According to Reuters, U.S. airlines on Thursday began to cut flights at East Coast airports and made plans to move aircraft from the region due to approaching Hurricane Irene. Airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights from Friday through Monday, according to the online flight tracking service Flightaware.com. Major airlines encouraged travelers to consider changing flight plans or postponing trips with the massive storm threatening to sweep north through mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states over the weekend.
Tens of millions of air travelers, train passengers and subway and bus riders scrambled to adjust their routines, work commutes and vacations as transportation networks gradually scaled back operations. New York’s subway system, which carries 7 million riders daily and operates the largest fleet in the world, had never closed due to weather.
Airlines affected include Southwest Airlines US Airways, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines. Most waived fees for rebooking tickets.
New York-area air space is the most congested in the United States, and Irene threatened the region at the busiest time of the year for airlines.Cancellations and delays in the East affect flights across the country and overseas, prompting advisories of more widespread delays.
Irene threatened air service just two days after an earthquake centered in Virginia disrupted travel along the eastern seaboard.
Separately, U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak canceled most train service south of Washington for Friday, Saturday and Sunday due to potential affects of the storm. Most trains in the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor between Boston, New York and Washington are not currently affected, Amtrak said.
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