A late winter storm has caused chaos for air travellers across the eastern United States, with thousands of flights cancelled or delayed as high winds and heavy snow combine with a partial government shutdown to disrupt operations.
Flight delays and cancellations mounted at major airports including New York, Chicago and Atlanta. By late afternoon, nearly 10,000 flights had been delayed and more than 4,700 cancelled, according to FlightAware. The National Weather Service warned of “strong and long-track tornadoes” as the storm moved east, having already dumped up to 36 inches of snow in the midwest.
The storm is affecting more than 200 million people, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty, unleashing “winter and springtime hazards at the same time”. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered ground stops at Hartsfield-Jackson and Charlotte Douglas airports, and ground delays at JFK and Newark Liberty.
Travellers reported being stranded. Kelly Price, trying to fly from Florida to Colorado, told the Associated Press that her Sunday night flight was not cancelled until Monday morning. “By that time the only place for us to sleep was the airport floor,” she said, adding that the earliest available flight was not until Tuesday afternoon.
The disruption comes as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers missed their first full paycheck due to a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. More than 300 TSA agents have quit since the shutdown began, leading to longer security lines at some airports. Aaron Barker, a union leader, said officers were “pissed off” and coping with eviction notices and empty refrigerators.
