Storm forces cancellation of hundreds of flights at Tri-State Area airports
NEW YORK -- The pre-Christmas storm continues to wreck havoc on travel plans.
As of 10:30 p.m. on Friday, there were 5,606 cancellations and 10,264 delays nationwide.
At the Tri-State Area airports:
- LaGuardia had 437 cancellations and 416 delays
- Newark Liberty had 184 cancellations and 483 delays
- John F. Kennedy had 181 cancellations and 528 delays
It definitely felt more crowded LaGuardia on Friday, compared to Thursday. The departures board was a mixed bag of delays and cancelations. There were some flights taking off, but plenty of people were forced to turn around and go home.
The lines to speak with a ticket agent stretched on and on.
"We waited in this three-hour-long line. It was truly awful," Kethan Yelundr said.
"I was in this line for two hours and still wasn't able to make it to the kiosk, so I'm calling it," Collin Woldt said.
That meant Woldt, a Columbia University student, will be spending his first Christmas away from family.
"It was awful today and even yesterday and into tomorrow. You couldn't get a flight for any of those days," Woldt said.
Flight Trackers
EMT Robin Ussery was supposed to be back at work in Georgia on Saturday.
"But it don't look like I'm gonna make it, though," Ussery said.
The situation wasn't much better at Newark Liberty, either. Some fliers were left stranded.
"I came here at 8 o'clock. I left at 3:30 in the morning and I couldn't find an accommodation outside," Siby Isaac said.
"I've already sunk like $1,200 into this whole ordeal," Casey Mina added.
Airlines were advising people who are trying to fly out Friday to get to the airport three or even four hours early, especially if they were flying internationally or checking a bag.
However, cancelations across the country and particularly at major hubs like Chicago and Denver were having a ripple effect at the Tri-State Area airports.
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Even Gov. Kathy Hochul wasn't immune to the travel headache. She found out in the middle of her press conference Friday that the storm had put a damper on her own Christmas plans.
"Buffalo Airport has closed all evening. Flights are canceled. I'm definitely not seeing family. Okay. thank you for the good news," Hochul said.
"We got our flight canceled at around 2:15 p.m. and we were about to board at 2:25 p.m., so it was really that last-minute one and I just spent two hours trying to get a rebooked flight. I got through on the phone first and they told me no flights through Southwest today or tomorrow, so I'm just gonna head home I guess," LaGuardia traveler Phoenix Phung said.
It's not just the storm, itself, causing problems. The severe drop in temperature in our area and around the country is expected to slow down the airlines' recovery plans for the days ahead.