NEWARK–The snowstorm that swept across the Northeast on Thursday all but shut down the region’s airports, causing a bottleneck that stretched across the nation.
More arrivals and departures were cancelled out of the three New York metropolitan area airports combined than anywhere else in the country, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, with 1,800 flights affected.
Newark Liberty had 625 flights cancelled through 10:30 a.m., representing more than half of the scheduled takeoffs and landings at the busy airport.
At LaGuardia Airport, 662 planes were grounded. Kennedy International had 513 flight cancellations.
Only Boston, which is served by one airport, had more delays, with 691 flights cancelled.
Nationwide, airlines reported 2,890 cancelled flights 3,575 flight delays through the Thursday morning hours.
For a time, the Federal Aviation Administration instituted ground stops at Newark and JFK, halting all incoming flights.
Steven Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the metropolitan area airports, said there was “very minimal air traffic” at Newark and LaGuardia.
“They expect things to pick up later today when the storm winds down,” he said.
A spokeswoman for United Airlines, the largest carrier serving Newark, said they were forced to cancel nearly 600 flights due to the storm across the Northeast, including United Express.
“The majority of those are in the New York region,” said Erin Benson.
One passenger stuck aboard a Delta plane bound for Miami told CBS2 News that her flight got stuck while waiting to de-ice.
“Next thing you know, all the TVs went off, all the power went off on the plane,” she said. “No Florida for us today.”
Even before the first snowflakes hit the ground, airlines serving the region were already grounding their flights, with more than 1,600 flight cancellations and at least 50 delays at Newark, Kennedy, and LaGuardia before 6 a.m., according to FlightAware.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates all three airports, said it had hundreds of pieces of snow equipment at its airports, including melters that are used to liquefy up to 500 tons of snow an hour, as well as plows. Crews also were using liquid anti-icer chemicals to prevent snow and ice from bonding to runways and taxiways.
Officials said the airports also had cots and other essential items to accommodate ticketed passengers who might become stranded.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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