Rhode Island, New Jersey and Connecticut had also issued travel bans on Monday morning. Pennsylvania and Washington DC, although not expected to be as severely impacted, have also said they are on alert.
How is Storm Hernando affecting travel?
Several travel bans are currently in place, causing widespread disruption and impacting many major airlines around the world. On Sunday evening, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered a citywide ban on all but emergency travel. Currently, more than 5,000 flights have been cancelled, with hundreds more delayed. Roughly two-thirds of Sunday’s departures from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport were grounded, with more than 70 per cent of Monday’s departures across the region being halted, according to Aviation 24.
Many major US carriers have issued travel waivers, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines, allowing passengers to rebook at no extra charge.
Delta says it expects delays to last until at least Tuesday. “As Delta teams continue to monitor Winter Storm Hernando, Delta expects to suspend operations at its New York-LGA, New York-JFK and Boston Logan hubs on Tuesday, 24 February, due to extreme winter weather conditions. The storm is also creating broader disruptions along the East Coast, and customers may experience additional schedule adjustments as the system moves through the region,” the airline said in a statement. “Customers travelling in affected areas are encouraged to move their flights before or after the storm.”
In the UK, more than 30 scheduled flights between London Heathrow and JFK had been cancelled on Monday, with dozens more from Scotland, Ireland and the north of the country affected.
In the Middle East, major carriers including Emirates and Etihad have also cancelled flights. Emirates confirmed several cancellations between Sunday, 22 February and Tuesday, 24 February, affecting routes between Dubai and Newark, JFK and Boston airports.
What should you do if you have travel planned to the US East Coast?
As with any major travel disruption, thousands of ground flights are likely to cause a knock-on effect for several days as airlines scramble to rebook passengers stranded across the world.
Many major US airlines are advising travellers to rebook any flights scheduled for Monday, 23 and Tuesday, 24 February. Any passengers with travel planned for these days should contact their airline or travel agent and keep up to date with the latest information.
This article was first published by Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.
