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NAVIGATIONThe Voyage Report > News > Spring Storms Cancel, Delay 26,000 Flights in Past 3 Days; More Saturday; Delta Apologizes Again
WEATHER

Spring Storms Cancel, Delay 26,000 Flights in Past 3 Days; More Saturday; Delta Apologizes Again

April 7, 2017by Mark Albert
MiseryMap FlightAware Spring Storms
MiseryMap; courtesy: FlightAware

 

The Spring Storms that swept through the West Coast, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were leading to a fourth day of cancellations on Saturday, after already causing more than 26,000 cancelled and delayed flights and a trail of damage and power outages from coast to coast.

Airlines cancelled more than a hundred flights Saturday as they struggled to reposition crews and aircraft so the carriers could resume their regular operations.

The storms snarled Spring Break plans; districts from Atlanta; to Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; and Grand Rapids, MI, are currently out on spring recess.

Schools whose Spring Breaks started Friday include those in Seattle; Salt Lake City; the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area; New York City; Las Vegas; Miami; Sacramento; and Philadelphia.

Spring Storms Cause Cancellations, Delays

As of 11:30pm Friday, airlines had cancelled 1,245 flights within, to, or from the United States, according to FlightAware; 7,079 flights were delayed.

More than 100 flights were already cancelled for Saturday.

On Thursday, carriers cancelled 2,561 flights; 9,404 more were delayed.

Since Wednesday, when airlines scrapped 1,301 flights with an additional 4,483 delayed, more than 26,000 U.S. flights have either been late or never took off—a staggering snapshot of American airspace over just a three-day period.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) was again among the hardest hit airports, leading the way Friday in the number of cancelled and delayed flights.

Among major airports Thursday, the most impacted by a percentage of flights cancelled was Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), where 31% of all flights were scrapped; 27% of flights at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) had to be cancelled.

New York’s JFK airport saw the nation’s worst percentage of flights delayed; half of its scheduled service—50%—was late Thursday. Baltimore’s BWI airport came in a close second at 49% of flights delayed.

In a sign of how broadly the spring storms impacted the nation’s air travel, San Francisco’s International Airport (SFO) on the West Coast was also hit hard, with 47% of its flights delayed—even more than Atlanta’s 40%.

-–>LEARN: How We Save Hundreds Off Every International Flight

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Damage Reported, Power Out

Nearly three dozen tornados raked parts of the South this week and strong winds caused damage in the nation’s capital, weather.com reported.

Damage to the roof at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.; courtesy: WJLA-TV

The winds also “flipped campers and uprooted trees” in Florida, where at least three people were hurt, the website said.

The Spring storms ripped the roof off a church at Gonzaga College High School Thursday in Washington, D.C., WJLA-TV reported.

More than 10,000 residents in the D.C. area lost power Thursday afternoon, WUSA-TV reported.

Delta Apologizes, Sends Pizza

Spring Storms Delta PizzaSpring Storms Delta PizzaDelta sent out a news release Thursday promoting the fact that it brought pizza, drinks, and treats to stranded passengers in Atlanta; Baton Rouge, LA; Knoxville, TN; Greensboro, NC; and other airports in the Southeast, as ground stops stretched beyond four hours on Wednesday as the initial storms swept through.

Delta is based in Atlanta, and has been particularly hard-hit by this week’s severe Spring storms, leading to criticism of how it handled its operations.

“Wednesday’s severe weather was unprecedented for Atlanta,” Chief Operating Officer Gil West explained in a statement Thursday evening.

“We are grateful for your patience and want you to know that we, as always, learn from these experiences. While we can’t control the weather, we understand the resulting recovery has not been ideal and we apologize for that,” West said.

Spring Storms Weather DeltaMidday Friday, Delta tweeted out more apologies, writing: “We apologize to our customers that have been affected by storms this week. We’re working hard to rebook everyone as soon as possible.”

Friday Travel Affected

The storms impacted travel nationwide for a third day on Friday.

As of 11:30pm Friday, airlines had cancelled more than 1,200 flights for the day, including 231 out of Atlanta and dozens at LaGuardia.

Has the weather impacted your plans? Let us know in the comments section below!

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–>READ: U.S., U.K. Issue Electronics Ban for Some Flights

–>LEARN: What is the “Real ID” Act and How Will it Affect You

–>SAVING MONEY: The Best Day to Book Airfare

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Mark Albert
Mark is a Peabody Award-winner who has reported in newsrooms across the country, most recently as a freelance correspondent at CBS News. He's traveled to 60 countries so far and plans to get to the rest—with a little luck.
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