Thanksgiving travelers experienced thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations over the holiday weekend amid severe weather storms sweeping across the mid-Atlantic region.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware reported nearly 7,000 flights faced delays, and almost 200 others were canceled on Sunday, flying within, into, or out of the United States.
Airlines on Saturday experienced at least 4,400 flights delayed and nearly 100 canceled.
Passengers flying out of New York City’s tri-state area saw the brunt of the disruptions after a storm system shifted north of the Mississippi River Valley Sunday into the Northeast, which brought heavy rains and gusty winds, according to the National Weather Station.
[Sunday 1230 PM] Rain is beginning to fall across western portions of the area, and will expand to the rest of the region over the next couple of hours.
Locally heavy downpours are possible into this evening, with total expected rainfall between 0.75" to 1.00". #NYwx #NJwx #CTwx pic.twitter.com/1QeGCltajH
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) November 27, 2022
“We can’t stress this enough — plan ahead and arrive early,” New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport tweeted on Sunday. “Budget extra travel time to arrive at JFK Airport, park in your reserved spot, check in, and get through security.”
We can’t stress this enough – plan ahead and arrive early
Budget extra travel time to arrive at #JFK Airport, park in your reserved spot, check in, and get through security. pic.twitter.com/WuI4PYbOgw
— John F. Kennedy Airport (@JFKairport) November 27, 2022
Newark Liberty International Airport warned passengers of high-volume travel impacting flight schedules.
“Due to the increased number of travelers during the holiday, allow extra time for travel, check-in and security,” the airport’s official account posted on Twitter.
#EWR Due to the increased number of travelers during the holiday, allow extra time for travel, check-in and security.
— Newark Liberty International Airport (@EWRairport) November 27, 2022
The Hill reports Washington, D.C. airports canceled four flights, and another 115 were delayed. Republic Airways delayed 227 flights, PSA Airlines delayed 125, and Frontier delayed 110.
National travel-related service AAA estimated air travel increased by nearly 8% since 2021, with 4.5 million Americans flying to their Thanksgiving destinations this year – an increase of more than 330,000 travelers.
According to AccuWeather, weather conditions are expected to continue travel delays throughout the Midwest and Northeast portions beginning on Tuesday.