Thousands of flights worldwide have been cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy’s impending landfall in the Northeast. The affects have been felt locally, as nearly 200 flights at both Miami International Airport and Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport have been cancelled. International gateways including Paris, Tokyo, London, and parts of the Middle East are dealing with multiple cancellations and stranded passengers.
Many U.S.-based airlines have cancelled all flights to the mid-Atlantic region through the middle of the week. The total number of grounded flights exceeds 10,000 according to FlightAware.com. Major carriers like United Airlines and Delta Airlines, as well as economy carriers like JetBlue Airways have already begun rebooking procedures for stranded passengers. Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, and other international airline carriers have cancelled inbound and outbound flights from all gateways in the Northeastern United States, including Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
Several news media outlets, including CNN, Yahoo! News, and CBS4 News here in Miami, report that over 7,000 flights have been cancelled around the country. This includes nearly 4,000 flights on United Airlines; 2,100 Delta Airlines flights; 1,200 on JetBlue Airways; and 1000 flights on American Airlines.
More than 120 flights were cancelled at Miami International Airport. So far, over 40 flights at Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport have been cancelled. Wall Street Journal Online reports that business travel will be hit particularly hard by the storm’s affects. With about 30 percent of airline revenue generated from business travel, there will be a significant number of stranded business travelers as well as a significant loss in revenue from that sector.
While most airlines hope to begin service restoration around mid-week, industry experts predict that the process may extend through this weekend, depending on the aftermath of the hurricane. Extensive flooding and/or heavy snowfall may prevent access to airport runways and even local roads in the Northeast. Many airlines are waiving change fees to minimize inconvenience to displaced travelers.
In an article published on wsj.com, a US Airways spokesperson advised travelers across the country to check the status of their flights regardless of their intended destination. A large number of cancellations in one region can adversely impact operations across the country.
Travelers are urged to contact the airline directly to check flight status and to inquire about any impending cancellations, rebooking and accommodations (if any) being offered to stranded passengers.
Related articles:
Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights:
http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-sandy-grounds-thousands-flights-160050666.html
Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights worldwide:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/travel/hurricane-sandy-flight-cancellations/index.html
Hurricane Sandy Forces More Than 12,000 Flight Cancellations:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204840504578086833916411390.html
