It's just over a week since Hurricane Sandy pounded the east coast, affecting the lives of thousands of residents and those who were traveling to or from the area. Now, a Nor'easter is hitting the northeast once again and several flights were cancelled as a result.
A nor'easter that's bringing strong winds, possible flooding and even snow is affecting the northeastern United States and travel is taking a hit. Several airlines canceled flights before the storm hit.
According to flight tracking website, FlightAware.com, more than 1,200 flights were canceled by noon on Wednesday. A majority of the flights, or 40 percent, are at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, reports the Associated Press.
United Airlines, the largest airline in the world, suspended most of its flights to and from New York by noon on Wednesday and it is likely that flights in other parts of the Northeast will continue to be delayed and canceled due to the storm.
American Airlines stopped flights to and from Philadelphia at noon and shut down all operations in New York at 3p.m.
Other airlines like Delta Air and JetBlue encouraged passengers to reschedule their flights to a future date and are waiving the $150 rescheduling fees. Delta canceled over 150 flights on Wednesday, with most being in New York.
Hurricane Sandy widely disrupted travel last week as more than 20,000 flights were canceled. Several airport runways were left flooded from the storm. Airlines were just starting to get back to a normal schedule after Sandy. Now they're cancelling flights for the nor'easter to keep passengers safe and to try to save some money.
If a flight is canceled, the airline saves the cost of having to pay staff and used fuel. The flight staff only gets paid when the cabin doors close and the flight takes off, so the airlines save money by cancelling the flight altogether, rather than taking off to fly a few passengers that didn't reschedule their flights, according to AP.
Passengers who were supposed to travel on flights that got canceled are often moved to other flights.
According to AP, airlines don't have to pay for hotel rooms, food or other things for passengers who get caught stranded overnight due to the weather.
The Nor'easter isn't expected to be nearly as strong as Superstorm Sandy was. Several homes were destroyed in the storm due to flooding and even fires. A large storm surge of six to eleven feet left coastal areas devastated.
The nor'easter is expected to cause a storm surge of three feet and winds will be high, reaching up to 65 mph.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
