Seattle-based Alaska Airlines and its partner Virgin America have canceled 76 flights for Wednesday and Thursday at five Northeast airports in advance of an expected large, powerful winter storm that's being described as a "bomb cyclone," or bombogenesis.
As of late afternoon Wednesday, 25 of the two airlines' Wednesday flights were canceled and 51 flights on Thursday. Heavy snow and hurricane-force winds are forecast, especially in New England.
The Associated Press reported late Wednesday that airlines nationwide had already canceled 500 U.S. flights on Wednesday as the storm socked the Southeast, and many more will be scuttled Thursday as the brunt of the winter weather is expected to hit the Northeast.
Tracking service FlightAware.com says more than 1,700 flights have been canceled Thursday. More than half the flights scheduled for Thursday at Boston Logan International Airport have been scrubbed, and so have nearly half the flights at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Two other New York-area airports, JFK and Newark, were also hit hard along with smaller airports in the Northeast.
As a precaution, Alaska and Virgin America canceled most of their flights in and out of Boston, New York Kennedy, New York LaGuardia, Newark and Philadelphia.
Most airlines were letting customers change reservations without incurring a fee, usually up to $200 on U.S. flights. Alaska and Virgin America are waiving change and cancellation fees for passengers who wish to alter their plans to or from affected airports. (Learn more at alaskaair.com and virginamerica.com.)
If you have plans to fly to the East Coast in the next few days, or plan to meet a passenger scheduled to fly from that region, check the status of flights before heading for the airport. Check online here for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport flights.
Ripple-effect delays may occur across the nation and some aircraft and crews are likely to be displaced by the severe storm in New England.