Storm Disrupts Travel Prompting Delays in the Skies

It was a gnarly weekend of air travel thanks to a pair of winter weather events that are sweeping through a large swath of the central and eastern U.S. Here is a look at what is happening in the skies, as well as what you need to know about the difference between a ground stop and a ground delay.

Winter Storm Snarls Post-Holiday Travel

A post-Christmas storm created havoc in the nation's airports as snow and ice piled up across portions of the Great Lakes and the Northeast on Friday and Saturday. According to flight tracking site FlightAware, more than 3,000 flights within the U.S. were delayed on Saturday morning. This was in addition to the nearly 700 flight cancellations. Friday was even more disastrous, with over 8,500 delays and 1,7000 cancellations reported.

The ripple effect was felt acutely, largely because the three major airports in the New York City metro area were hit the hardest by the inclement conditions. Additional delays and cancellations at Boston Logan International Airport amplified the mess in the skies.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), flights arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport were delayed an average of two hours on Saturday morning. Ground delays were put into place until the middle of the day on Saturday at LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports, adding to the headaches for travelers trying to get in and out of the Big Apple.