Over 1,800 flights grounded: Winter Storm Devin causes holiday travel chaos in US

Washington: A powerful winter storm sweeping across the Northeast and Midwest disrupted the plans of millions of holiday travellers Saturday, forcing airlines to cancel more than 1,800 flights and delaying tens of thousands more.

Winter Storm Devin, which began battering the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions late Friday, has dropped up to 9 inches of snow in parts of New York and Connecticut. The National Weather Service warned that "treacherous" travel conditions would persist through Saturday afternoon as the storm moves toward New England.

As of Saturday morning, flight-tracking website FlightAware reported 1,802 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States. An additional 22,349 flights were delayed nationwide.

The disruption has been most acute at major East Coast hubs. New York’s John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty airports accounted for more than half of all cancellations. Detroit Metropolitan and Boston Logan airports also saw significant service reductions.

JetBlue Airways, which has a major presence in the Northeast, reported the highest number of scrapped flights with approximately 350 cancellations across Friday and Saturday.

"Due to Winter Storm Devin, JetBlue has cancelled a notable portion of our schedule in the Northeast," a spokesperson for the airline said. "We are working to re-accommodate customers as soon as conditions allow for safe operations."

Delta Air Lines and Republic Airways followed closely, with 241 and 180 cancellations, respectively. American Airlines and United Airlines each reported roughly 100 cancellations but noted that they had issued travel waivers allowing passengers to rebook without change fees.

In response to the storm, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared states of emergency Friday evening. Officials urged residents to stay off the roads to allow snowploughs to clear major thoroughfares.

"This is the second significant snowfall for the region this month," Mayor Eric Adams said during a press briefing, referring to a mid-December storm that also blanketed the city. "We are asking everyone to use public transit if they must travel and to check their flight status before heading to the airport."

The National Weather Service expects the storm to taper off by Saturday evening, though plunging temperatures are expected to create icing hazards on runways and highways through Sunday morning.