U.S. airlines cancel almost 5,000 flights ahead of Nor'easter

U.S. carriers on Friday canceled thousands of flights through the weekend in anticipation of a winter storm forecast to bring high winds and heavy snow across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
The National Weather Service said in an advisory that the Nor'easter would result in dangerous blizzards and make travel "nearly impossible." Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported about 4,900 U.S. flights were canceled between Friday and Sunday.
Delta Air Lines said it would suspend operations at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in New York, Newark Liberty airport in New Jersey and Logan airport in Boston from Saturday through Sunday morning.
The Atlanta-based carrier canceled 1,290 flights from Friday to Sunday. Customers who would have traveled then were allowed to reschedule to different flights without extra cost.
"Delta teams are focused on a safe and orderly restart of operations at these airports and others in the Northeast Sunday afternoon, depending on conditions," the company said in a statement.
Similarly, American Airlines canceled about 1,160 flights as it expects "significant" impact from the storm on its Northeast operations, especially at Logan airport. Affected passengers can rebook flights without change fees.
New York-based JetBlue canceled about 500 flights through Sunday including half of its scheduled flights on Saturday.
United Airlines has cut 21% of its Saturday flights, according to FlightAware.
The storm has added to the challenges facing the airline industry, which is trying to recover from turbulence caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant. An increase in COVID-19 infections among employees has left carriers short staffed, forcing them to cancel flights.
Southwest Airlines Co on Thursday said about 5,000 employees, or roughly 10% of its workforce, had contracted the virus in the first three weeks of January. The company has canceled more than 5,600 flights thus far this month, which is estimated to cost it $50 million in revenue.
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Mark Porter and Cynthia Osterman)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec confirms first two cases of monkeypox; 20 other suspected cases under investigation
Quebec's health ministry announced Thursday evening there are two confirmed cases of monkeypox in the province, while 20 other suspected cases are still under investigation.

Monkeypox: What is it and how does it spread?
A growing number of countries, including Canada, the U.S., Spain, Portugal, and the U.K, are reporting an unusual outbreak of monkeypox. Here is what we know about this rare virus.
Ed Fast says it became 'untenable' to do job as Conservative finance critic
Conservative MP Ed Fast said it was becoming 'untenable' to do his job as finance critic within the Conservative Party of Canada, which is why he asked to be relieved of his duties.
Canada banning Chinese telecom giant Huawei, ZTE from 5G networks
Canada is banning China's Huawei Technologies and ZTE, another Chinese company, from participating in the country's 5G wireless networks, citing national security and cybersecurity concerns. Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino made the announcement about prohibiting products and services from these 'high-risk vendors,' in Ottawa on Thursday.
Abortion accessibility in Canada: The Catholic hospital conflict
A leaked draft showing that the U.S Supreme Court justices are preparing to overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling has sparked debate in Canada, including whether Catholic hospitals can impede your access to abortion.
N.B. coroner jury says use-of-force policy needs review after officer kills woman
An independent group should review the use-of-force policy that guides New Brunswick police to ensure it is concise and understood by all officers in the province, a coroner's jury recommended Thursday.
Maud Lewis painting, once traded for grilled cheese sandwiches, sells for $350K
A painting by Nova Scotia artist Maud Lewis that was once traded for a few grilled cheese sandwiches, recently sold for an astounding $350,000 at auction.
Charity calls on government to help resettle 300 LGBTQ2S+ Afghans trying to escape to Canada
A charity that focuses on helping LGBTQ2S+ refugees facing violence and discrimination internationally is calling on the Canadian government to partner with them to facilitate a way out for hundreds of Afghans who have reached out to them in desperation.
Canada inflation: How we compare to other G7 nations
With a meeting of G7 finance ministers underway this week, a CTVNews.ca analysis found that while Canadians are feeling the pain of record-high inflation, among G7 nations we are surpassed by Germany, the U.S., and the U.K.