Irene's air travel chaos

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) U.S. flight cancellations approached 7,000 as United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL) joined Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU) in grounding planes ahead of Hurricane Irene’s East Coast landfall.

United purged 2,300 flights through Aug. 28, while Delta scratched 1,300 through Aug. 29 and JetBlue scrapped 1,262, spokesmen said. United has a hub at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty airport and Delta and JetBlue have bases at New York’s Kennedy, which will halt international arrivals at noon tomorrow.

Irene is forecast to plow through the busiest airspace in the U.S., forcing cancellations at seven major airports in Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. New York City’s trains, buses and subways will be closed at noon tomorrow, further slowing ground travel for passengers and airline crew.

“I expect this will be a major disruption,” said David Swierenga, a former chief economist at the Air Transport Association trade group who now runs consultant AeroEcon in Round Rock, Texas. “You’re affecting all the major airports on the northeastern seaboard. The number of flights that they have at those airports per day is very high.” ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25/airlines-cancel-180-flights-as-hurricane-irene-approaches-u-s-east-coast-.html

[gateley]

1. You know, when I lived in NC there was a forecast for heavy

snow. It had snowed a few days earlier and caused traffic headaches, so this forecast sent people heading home really early from work. I don't quite understand how, but the traffic was pretty much at a standstill until after 10pm that night (I lived 5 minutes from work, left at the regular time, no problem). I couldn't believe it when I saw the 10 o'clock news -- kids were stranded at daycares, people running out of gas, etc. The irony is IT DIDN"T SNOW!

So, even though a lot of people are going through a lot of trouble and inconvenience now, maybe it won't be nearly as bad as they fear. That would be wonderful, because if it is, it's just the beginning of the hassles an problems.