Bad weather and flight disruptions disrupted the holiday plans of hundreds of thousands of people during one of the busiest times since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The companies canceled about 5,600 flights yesterday, about a quarter of schedule, as snowfall battered cities from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, bringing life-threatening cold to many areas.
For today, the Federal Aviation Administration warned of delays in Chicago and delays in Washington, DC, New York, Boston and Philadelphia due to high winds and snow.
“Seattle, San Francisco, and the airports that serve Colorado ski resorts could suffer setbacks,” he added.
The source pointed out that more than 2,200 flights were canceled that day and another 5,000 were delayed.
At least 17 people have died in the United States as a result of the storm, which battered two-thirds of the country, news media reported in the early hours of the morning.
According to a report by NBC News, the deaths have so far been reported in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska and Ohio.
Widespread power outages due to severe winter conditions in several states are leaving more than 250,000 customers without power, according to the PowerOutage website.
A bulletin issued by the National Weather Service reported that being outdoors can cause frostbite within minutes in some areas.
Strong winds will pose life-threatening risks to travelers, people working outdoors, livestock and pets, she warned.
The statement added that snowstorms will affect the Midwest through the Northeast and travel will be extremely dangerous and impossible in certain areas.