The departures board at the American Airlines terminal at LaGuardia airport shows cancellations, Sunday, Oct. 28 in New York. (Photo: Mary Altaffer, AP)
As Hurricane Sandy made its leisurely but threatening trip up the
East Coast, airlines canceled thousands of flights, moved planes to
safer ground and began offering refunds to stranded travelers.
By
Sunday evening, more than 6,800 flights scheduled for Sunday and Monday
had been canceled, according to travel monitoring site FlightAware.com.
MORE: JIA arrival and departure times
In New York City, most airlines planned to cancel all flights into
and out of the three major airports Sunday night and not resume service
until Tuesday.
Most carriers were also suspending all flights
into and out of Philadelphia as well as Washington's Reagan National and
Dulles International airports.
MORE: Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights
United canceled 3,700 flights
scheduled from Sunday through Wednesday -- 16% of its trips systemwide
-- said airline spokesman Rahsaan Johnson. Some Sunday flights were
canceled to help keep air traffic moving in parts of the country that
weren't in the storm's path.
"We want to ensure we get airplanes
out of the path of the storm to minimize disruption for customers
outside the region,'' Johnson said. "We don't want to inconvenience
customers flying from, say, Los Angeles to San Francisco, because their
airplane is stuck on the East Coast.''
United planned to end
all flights into and out of New York's three major airports, as well as
Philadelphia, between 6 and 7 p.m. Sunday, with service expected to
resume Tuesday evening. There will be no United flights to and from
Washington on Monday. Smaller regional airports in the storm's path,
from Charleston, W.Va., to Portland, Maine, will also see some or all
flights canceled Monday and early Tuesday.
Delta said it would
cancel all flights into and out of the New York area, as well as
Philadelphia, on Sunday night. The airline also expected to suspend
service Monday morning at roughly a dozen airports from Washington to
Boston, with service expected to start again on Tuesday.
US
Airways canceled all flights at New York's major airports Sunday evening
through Monday. It suspended all service into and out of Philadelphia
and Washington's Reagan National Airport on Monday.
American
Airlines and its regional carrier American Eagle canceled 140 flights on
Sunday and another 1,431 flights scheduled for Monday through Wednesday
in cities throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. "The aftermath of
Hurricane Sandy may force some additional delays and cancellations of
scheduled flights to the region,'' spokesman Kent Powell said.
Most airlines are waiving fees for passengers who want to reschedule
their trips. United said that it would also give refunds to passengers
whose flights were canceled or delayed more than two hours. Southwest is
offering refunds for canceled flights into and out of several cities,
including Baltimore and Hartford.
Some passengers were
reporting waits as long as two hours as they tried to rebook. Airlines
were encouraging passengers to use their websites. United's Johnson said
for those who don't need to take a canceled trip after all, it might be
best to wait a few days before calling.
"Call volumes are
up, which leads to longer wait times,'' Johnson said. "Those travelers
whose flights are canceled and who no longer need to travel can delay
calling us and apply for a refund after the storm has passed. That can
help to reduce overall volume and wait times for customers who do need
to rebook."
USA Today