Delta Air Lines said flights to the storm-weary Northeast had resumed Thursday and a full schedule to New York’s major airports is expected by Friday.
Delta had canceled 570 flights after the region was hit with a nor’easter that brought gusting winds, rain and snow.
Airlines overall had canceled at least 1,300 flights to New York alone, with other cancellations affecting flights to New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Atlanta-based Delta, the largest carrier serving Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, said it will have fully scheduled flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia by Friday, in addition to service to seven other airports, including Newark International in New Jersey and Philadelphia International.
Delta said travelers are entitled to a refund for canceled or significantly delayed flights. They may also make a one-time change to their ticket without incurring a fee. Fees were also waived at AirTran, the second-largest carrier at Hartsfield-Jackson, and Southwest, which acquired AirTran last year.
AirTran and Southwest said Thursday their flight schedules were back to normal. “We were able to get our planes in place last night in order to operate our originators this morning, so we have completely resumed service,” spokeswoman Katie McDonald told the AJC. AirTran had canceled flights to LaGuardia and Philadelphia, and Southwest had canceled flights to Newark; LaGuardia; Philadelphia; Hartford, Conn.; and Long Island, N.Y.
After the storm moves through the region, temperatures are expected to rise over the next few days, according to meteorologists. The break in the weather will allow thousands of utility workers to continue restoring power to areas left in the dark by superstorm Sandy.
About 1,100 workers from Georgia Power remained in New York and Pennsylvania, according to spokeswoman Carol Boatright.
“We’ll be there until we get pretty much everyone restored,” Boatright told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The crews have been there for about a week and the spokeswoman said they’ll remain if they are needed to help with any problems the nor’easter leaves behind.
The storm will have little major precipitation impact on metro Atlanta’s weather. The metro forecast calls for clear skies the remainder of the week with a high of 60 degrees Thursday but reaching 70 by Sunday. Lows will be in the upper 30s Thursday to the mid to upper 40s by Sunday.
About the Author
