Summary
- Nearly 1,300 flights were delayed, and over 500 were canceled at New York’s airports on Friday due to inclement weather.
- Terminal A at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) was closed due to the worst flooding the airport has experienced in 11 years.
- Other airports experienced disruptions, but they were not as significant as LGA.
Nearly 1,300 flights were delayed at New York’s three area airports on Friday due to low clouds, record rainfall, and historic flooding. Since midnight (Friday morning), most areas within the region have picked up over four inches of rain, equivalent to a month’s worth.
LaGuardia Airport (LGA), hit the hardest by the elements, reportedly had a ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration due to excessive flooding. The order held most departures at the airport, resulting in numerous delays.
Flooding at LGA
At 09:28 EST, LGA closed all access to Terminal A and notified travelers to avoid the area until further notice due to flash flooding. Then, at 10:47, the airport announced that the terminal was closed as water filled the building. Photos on social media show the water ankle-high inside Terminal A as passengers walked through holding their bags.
According to NBC 4 New York, the flooding at LGA was the worst it has seen since Superstorm Sandy 11 years ago. The water was also reportedly coming in through the bathrooms in the terminal. As hours went by, crews were able to vacuum some of the water out of the terminal. The other two terminals at LGA stayed open but faced delays.
Terminal A reopens
The ground stop briefly halted flights, but then they were delayed due to excess water in the airport’s refueling area, according to NBC 4 New York. At around 20:00 on Friday, Terminal A reopened, but operations were still affected. Airport officials expect the terminal to return to full operations by 04:00 on Saturday.
Terminal A is reportedly not equipped with special drainage protocols, unlike the other terminals, B and C, at the airport. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the terminal is a landmark and historic structure that has not been renovated to include flood mitigation, but there are alleged plans to update the terminal to be less prone to flooding, according to NBC 4 New York.
Flight disruptions: Inside the numbers
As of 23:00 on Friday, LGA had a total of 408 delays and 296 cancelations. Delta Air Lines’ regional subsidiary, Endeavor Air, had the most delays at 98, followed by Delta’s mainline operations with 94 delays. Republic Airways, which operates regional flights for American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines, had the most cancelations at 128, as reported by FlightAware.
Departures from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) reportedly averaged delays of around 15 minutes that were increasing Friday afternoon, while Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) did not see as many significant flight disruptions.
Photo: Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock
517 flights were delayed at JFK, with JetBlue Airways being affected the most, with 186. Delta followed behind with 128 delays, and American had 45. With 206 total cancelations, Endeavor Air had 61, accounting for over half of the airline’s operation at JFK.
EWR experienced 389 delays. 175 of the delays were United’s, as the airline operates a hub at the airport. Republic was the second-most affected airline, with 64 delays. Stunningly, EWR only had a total of nine cancelations on Friday. United had six, British Airways had two, while Jazz Air, a regional airline operating for Air Canada, canceled one flight, according to FlightAware.
The region may experience some flight disruptions on Saturday, but not nearly as much as on Friday. Cloudy conditions with periods of rain from around 6:00 to 13:00 are expected before conditions clear for the evening hours. Sunny to partly cloudy skies are forecasted for Sunday through Thursday next week.
Sources: NBC 4 New York, FlightAware (1,2,3)