Airlines have cancelled more than 1,000 US flights during the peak Christmas travel period on Friday, with severe winter storm warnings and heavy snow forecast across parts of the Midwest and northeast, said media reports.
At least 1,191 flights had been cancelled as of 1pm US Eastern time (1800 GMT) on Friday, while 3,974 others were delayed across the country, stated the report citing the FlightAware website.
Of these, New York area airports accounted for 785 flight cancellations, it added.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has predicted snowfall across the upper Great Lakes region through the day, with the storm's focus moving towards the northeast.
New York, the country's largest city, was set to receive up to ten inches of snow overnight, with temperatures dropping to below freezing and the chilly weather continuing into the weekend.
"Road conditions will be treacherous for those traveling back from the holiday," it warned.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said a winter storm warning was in effect, and that city crews were deployed to plow roads.
The most-affected airports are New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport and the nearby Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where a major storm threatens to bring inches of snow late Friday, reported Forbes.
JFK is the worst-hit airport, already logging 370 cancellations and 200 delays on Friday alone, with more than 230 flights cancelled at each of Newark and LaGuardia.
The Federal Aviation Administration forecast probable ground stops or delays at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, Newark and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey after 4 p.m. EST, as well as Philadelphia International Airport after 5 p.m. EST.
Airlines With The Most Cancellations (according To Flightaware, As Of 3:50 P.m. Est.) are:
JetBlue — 227 cancellations; Delta Air Lines — 215 cancellations; Republic — 162 cancellations; Southwest — 150 cancellations and American Airlines - 97 cancellations.
Several major airlines have issued travel advisories for this weekend and are allowing passengers to book new flights for no extra fee, said the Forbes report.
United Airlines and American Airlines are allowing passengers scheduled for flights as far south as Philadelphia and as far north as Boston to rebook flights for no added fee until December 30, while Southwest Airlines is offering travelers to rebook flights within 14 days of their original travel date, it added.
