Hundreds Of Flights Grounded At Logan Airport
BOSTON (CBS) -- Getting in and out of Logan Airport in the next few days isn't going to be easy. At least by air it won't be easy.
As of noon on Tuesday all of Jet Blue's flights for Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday are cancelled. Jet Blue is the largest airline at Logan. Flights in and out of Boston and New York's JFK Airport aren't expected to start again until Thursday.
And that's not the only airline cancelling flights. A look at Logan's Flight Tracker shows a lot more red than green for flights departing or arriving after noon.
Nationwide, canceled flights are numbering in the thousands, with the hardest hit airports in Newark and Chicago.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports from Logan.
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KEEPING LOGAN OPEN DURING WINTER STORMS
It may be cold, but Richard Pelosi is on the hot seat.
It is Pelosi's job to clear the runway at Logan Airport. Fortunately, he has a lot of help and a lot of heavy equipment.
Pelosi has been driving the giant plow at Logan for about 30 years.
WBZ-TV's Jim Smith reports.
"We have a 21-foot plow blade up front, 21-foot broom in the middle that sweeps it, and we have a blower in the back that blows it approximately 450 miles per hour so we get down to bare pavement," said Pelosi.
Siimply put, this is a huge job every time a storm hits Logan Airport.
The key is coordination and, of course, safety. Just imagine trying to get an airfield clear and worry about incoming and outgoing planes at the same time.
"It's a great team effort. We're able to maintain two runways during this storm. Everyone out there is just staying in line what we need to do. We take one runway, clean it, work on it for 15 minutes, move on to the next one, clean it for 15 minutes, make it safe for aircraft to land and depart," said Robert Lynch, the Massport Airport Operations Manager.
It never seems to end. As soon as one runway is clear, the other needs to be handled again. But, the crew is proud and up to the task.
"It's a big accomplishment when you're done fighting a storm. Driving home you feel as though. That's what we do," said Pelosi.
