Ground Stop at Newark, Major Delays at Other New York City Airports Due to Thunderstorms

Another set of summer storms is causing major issues for travelers flying out of New York on Thursday morning.

As of 9:40 a.m. local time, the FAA has a ground stop in place for Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The stop is expected to last through at least 10:00 a.m. and will likely cause cascading issues for flights scheduled throughout Thursday, with average delays exceeding an hour once the stop is lifted.

There is also a ground delay in place at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) due to the severe weather. As of 9:40 a.m. local time, flights into LGA are experiencing an average delay of more than an hour and a half.

According to data from FlightAware as of 9:45 a.m. EDT, the storm system is already having a broad impact across the national airspace, with 1,522 total delays and 172 cancellations within, into, or out of the U.S. so far today.

LaGuardia ranks among the most affected hubs globally this morning, reporting 42 cancellations (7% of total flights) and 101 delays (18%). John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), even without a groud stop, is also seeing severe disruption, with 19 cancellations and 48 delays.

Several major airlines operating out of New York have issued flexible travel waivers, allowing passengers scheduled to fly on Thursday to change or rebook their flights without paying change fees or fare differences. They include: 

• American Airlines: Waiving change fees for passengers traveling August 27 through NYC-area airports (EWR, LGA, JFK, HPN). Rebooked travel must be completed by August 31.
• Delta Air Lines: Issued a Northeast Weather waiver covering EWR, LGA, JFK, PHL, and HPN. Rebooked travel beginning on or before August 30 will have fare differences waived.
• JetBlue: Waiving change/cancel fees and fare differences for flights to/from NYC area airports (JFK, LGA, EWR, HPN, ISP). Passengers can rebook through September 2.