3,500 Flights Canceled As Nemo Bears Down On Northeast

INQUISITR.COM / Weather
By Kim LaCapria
Published on: 2013-02-08T17:38:13

More than 3,500 flights have been canceled this weekend in the Northeast corridor, as 40 million residents braced for the coming calamity known as Winter Storm Nemo 2013.

Although more than 3,500 flights have been canceled, more could follow as the potential impact of Nemo on the region is assessed. Much of the states affected by the blizzard and Nor’easter, expected to possibly bring feet of snow to the area, are already experiencing significant accumulation, heavy winds and hazardous roadway conditions.

After news that more than 3,500 flights had been canceled in the swath of states, JetBlue CEO Rob Maruster said he was optimistic about potential resumption of flights by early afternoon. But the Clarion Ledger reports that thousands upon thousands of travelers had already been affected by the necessary halt to airline travel as Nemo picked up in the region:

“Nearly all airlines had halted flights — or planned to soon — at airports in New York City and New England as of 4 p.m. ET. Officials from JetBlue, Delta and United tell Today in the Sky that at least some flights to the New York City airports could resume by early Saturday afternoon, though that depended on conditions at the airports following the storm.”

Those banished from the friendly skies aren’t the only ones suffering after the 3,500 flights were canceled in preparation for the storm — several New England states are restricting other forms of travel, and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick issued a ban on all road traffic beginning at 4PM Friday for the first time in more than thirty years.