NEW YORK — Travelers across the country are facing days of misery as thousands of flights get canceled because of Hurricane Irene.
Airlines are scrapping more than 9,000 flights this weekend from North Carolina to Boston, grounding would-be travelers as Irene travels up the East Coast. There were more than 3,900 cancellations on Saturday alone.
Millions of passengers will be affected by the time the storm finally dies, as airlines work to accommodate millions of people on very full flights. The biggest airlines, United Continental Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc., canceled thousands of flights each.
All New York City-area airports closed to arriving flights at noon Saturday, when the city’s public transportation system shut down. United Continental, the world’s largest airline, suspended operations in the New York area. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport were open Saturday afternoon, but most flights had been canceled.
The airports that will be most affected today are Newark Liberty International and New York’s John F. Kennedy International, both with more than 1,200 cancellations, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Boston’s Logan and Washington Reagan were next in line.
Airlines have already canceled a handful of flights Monday, but all the major U.S. carriers said they would wait to assess damage before canceling more.
Airlines wouldn’t say how many passengers would be affected by the hurricane, but the numbers will likely reach into the millions.
Even passengers not flying anywhere near the East Coast could be delayed for days as airlines get planes and crews back into position.
Airlines waived ticket- change fees for most East Coast travelers affected by the storm. Some pushed off the $150 penalties for as much as a week to encourage travelers to make new arrangements.
