Airlines and Transportation Services Impacted by Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene has brought widespread disruptions to transportation services and airline schedules along the East Coast, with major airlines and transportation companies taking measures to mitigate the effects of the storm. Major airlines, including US Airways, American, United, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and AirTran, have dropped ticket-change fees for passengers scheduled to fly to or from affected cities. Additionally, several airlines have canceled numerous flights, including Delta Air Lines, which plans to cancel around 1,300 flights between Saturday and Monday.

Key Takeaways:

• Major airlines, including US Airways, American, United, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and AirTran, have dropped ticket-change fees for passengers scheduled to fly to or from affected cities.
• Delta Air Lines plans to cancel approximately 1,300 flights between Saturday and Monday, with a shutdown of operations on Sunday at New York-area airports.
• American Airlines canceled all Washington-area flights from 12 p.m. on Saturday through 12 p.m. on Sunday, in addition to canceling 32 Friday flights.
• JetBlue has canceled almost 900 flights in the Northeast ahead of the storm, mostly Sunday and Monday flights out of the New York metro area and Boston.
• AirTran has canceled 265 flights from Saturday to Monday, with significant schedule reductions in the Washington metro area.
• Southwest will temporarily suspend service to and from Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday, with significant schedule reductions in Philadelphia, New York, and New England routes on Sunday.
• CruiseCritic.com reported that more than 20 cruise ships changed their itineraries due to the hurricane, with possible delays for weekend cruise departures from Northeast ports such as New York.
• North Carolina ports have closed in Morehead City and Wilmington, while cruise ports in Nassau and Grand Bahama reopened Thursday evening.

Statistics:

• 121,500 passengers may be affected by flight cancellations and delays due to Hurricane Irene (CNN)
• 1,300 flights canceled by Delta Air Lines between Saturday and Monday
• 265 flights canceled by AirTran from Saturday to Monday
• 900 flights canceled by JetBlue in the Northeast ahead of the storm
• 20 cruise ships changed their itineraries due to the hurricane
• New York Metropolitan Transit Authority will begin a systemwide shutdown at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday

Sources:

• CNN Wire Staff
• Delta Air Lines spokesman Anthony Black
• American Airlines spokesman Ed Martelle
• JetBlue spokesman Mateo Lleras
• AirTran airline spokeswoman
• New York governor's office
• Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
• Bahamian tourism ministry
• CruiseCritic.com