Severe Weather Triggers Mass Flight Cancellations Across NYC Airports, Airlines Issue Waivers

Update 12:15 pm.m EST:

According to FlightAware, LaGuardia remains the most impacted hub, reporting over 200 outbound cancellations and around 100 delays. Meanwhile, JFK and Newark are also heavily affected, combining for over 230 outbound cancellations and more than 200 delayed flights, all as of noon local time on Tuesday.

Original article:

Over 25% of all scheduled flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) are canceled on Tuesday because of severe summer thunderstorms rolling through the Northeast, and conditions aren’t much better at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

According to FlightAware, more than 630 flights out of New York area airports on Tuesday have already been canceled as of 7 a.m. EST, and another 70 or so are delayed. Monday was equally brutal for travelers, with hundreds of additional cancellations and delays hitting the region as the initial wave of storms moved through.

The problems all stem from severe weather impacting the region. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in New York has a flood watch in effect for the city’s metropolitan area, including New York City, and northeast New Jersey, through Tuesday night. The NWS is predicting “damaging wind gusts up to 50 knots, and torrential rain with peak rates near 2.5 inches per hour” in some areas.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already issued ground stops due to thunderstorms at LaGuardia through 8 a.m. EST, and those could be extended later into Tuesday and expanded to Kennedy and Newark.

Airline Waivers

Several airlines have issued waivers for travel on Tuesday as those storms cause chaos at airports not just in New York, but elsewhere across the Northeast corridor.

American Airlines has a waiver in place for the New York airports along with Baltimore (BWI), Boston (BOS), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington-Dulles (IAD), Washington-Reagan (DCA), and White Plains (HPN). American’s waiver covers travel through July 21 and allows for new flights to be booked through July 23.

Delta Air Lines has a waiver in place for all three New York airports along with Boston (BOS), Baltimore (BWI), Washington-Reagan (DCA), White Plains (HPN), Washington-Dulles (IAD), and Philadelphia (PHL). Delta’s waiver covers travel through those airports through Tuesday, July 22, and allows passengers to rebook flights for travel on or before July 25.

JetBlue has a waiver out covering 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic hubs, including LaGuardia, Kennedy, Newark, White Plains, Islip (ISP), Boston (BOS), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington-Reagan (DCA), Baltimore (BWI), Richmond (RIC), and Norfolk (ORF). The waiver applies to travel through July 22 and allows customers to rebook travel through July 26 without paying change fees or fare differences.

United Airlines has a waiver in place for LaGuardia, Kennedy, Newark, and Philadelphia (PHL). United’s waiver covers travel scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, and allows fee-free rebooking for travel through July 23, provided passengers keep their original city pair and cabin class.