Thousands of Britons will be caught in a third day of travel chaos
tomorrow as the biggest storm in US history forces airlines to make yet another
round of flight cancellations - while JFK airport in New York is expected to
reopen.
Still waiting: Stranded passengers wait in the check in area at Heathrow Airport for flights to the east coast of the US to return to normal, after the fierce storm battered America
The total number of planes grounded by Sandy worldwide has surpassed
15,000 with British Airways cancelling another 12 flights tomorrow. BA have
cancelled the majority of their flights to and from New York's JFK and Newark
airports but flights to Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia should
resume as normal on Wednesday. Virgin Atlantic also warned that their early
morning transatlantic flights tomorrow to the city's airports will be axed
after all flights departing in and out today were cancelled. British Airways
cancelled 15 flights to and from the East Coast today but resumed flights to
Boston as normal. The first left at 9.50am this morning followed by another at
1.36pm.
Passengers flying from London Heathrow to east coast destinations in the US are continuing to have their journeys delayed and cancelled as Sandy sweeps through the area. Heathrow airport has cancelled over 80 flights as the storm rips through east coast cities
In total Heathrow announced 84 flight cancellations to the East Coast
today, with 37 departures and 47 arrivals scrapped leaving tourists and
businessmen stranded at airports. Sandy grounded more than 15,000 flights
across the North east of America and the globe, and it could be days before
some passengers finally get to board their planes. But Governor of New York
Andrew Cuomo said today that JFK is expected to reopen on Wednesday. According
to the flight-tracking service FlightAware, more than 6,000 flights were
canceled on Tuesday and by early Tuesday morning, more than 500 flights
scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled.
The three big New York airports were closed on Tuesday by the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey. Stewart International Airport remained
open, but airlines had suspended operations there. 'We are doing all we can to
help customers whose flights have been cancelled and will look to use larger
aircraft on some routes when the full flying schedule resumes to help get
customers to their correct destination as quickly as we can. 'We are taking advice
from US authorities and planning our operation and providing customer advice
around that.'
BA's other US flights are also operating normally and the company is
also flying as usual to Toronto and Montreal in Canada. The airline is still
operating a service to Washington. Today's chaos comes after tens of thousands
of people were left stranded on both sides of the Atlantic following mass
cancellations on Monday. The route between the East Coast of the US and Western
Europe is one of the busiest in the world. More than 2.6million passengers flew
from New York's JFK Airport to Heathrow in London last year - an average of
more than 7,100 per day. On average, almost 14,200 passengers fly from JFK to
London, Paris, Madrid and Frankfurt each day.
Virgin Atlantic confirmed all flights to and from JFK and Newark
airports have been cancelled today and said flights early on Wednesday 31
October have also been axed. A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic said: ‘Details of
arrangements for affected passengers, including rebooking and extended
hotel-stay compensation can be found on our website. 'Our flights to America had been very busy at
the beginning of this week due to the half-term school holiday. It's very
unfortunate that this major storm has come when it has.’ The spokesman said
that all the airline's flights to New York have been cancelled. The airline
said: 'Passenger and crew safety is our number one priority and we are
continuously liaising with local authorities to assess the situation and
minimise the disruption caused to passengers wherever possible. 'We continue to thank our passengers for their
patience and apologise for the inconvenience caused to their journey.'
However, the airline is continuing to review the situation, the
spokesman added.
The hurricane was estimated to affect up to 50million people, forcing
the shutdown of transport networks, schools and financial markets in New York
City and beyond, sending coastal residents fleeing for higher ground, and
threatening a dangerous mix of high winds, heavy rain and a surging 11ft wall
of water. Britons, and other travellers, due to take internal flights in
America yesterday found that more than 7,000 services had been axed. Among
carriers which had to cancel flights were US Airways, American Airlines and
Delta.
The flight cancelations surpassed those of a major winter storm in early
2011 that forced 14,000 flights to be scrapped over four days. Even if storm
damage is minor it could be a week before operations are normal at major East
Coast airports, said Angela Gittens, director general of the Airports Council
International, a trade group for airports worldwide. 'The storm has such a wide
swath and so many major airports are involved that it's going to take some time
(to recover) because those airplanes are so far away,' said Gittens, who served
as aviation director at Miami International Airport Dade during several
hurricanes from 2001 to 2004. Britons
already in America were contending with shutdown public transport, with bus and
train services in New York and Philadelphia among those affected. Relieved
passengers boarded the first flights to the storm ravaged US East Coast today -
but many more faced further travel chaos.
British Airways (BA) and Iberia resumed flights to Boston and Washington
this morning, while all flights departing in and out of New York's JFK and
Newark airports remained cancelled. The first passengers boarded jets around
lunchtime, with flights delayed by over two hours. Gillian Sapong, 53, was one
of the first people to be told she could board a flight to Washington DC, after
becoming stranded when she travelled to her brother's funeral in Ghana. Surrounded
by her family, who live in London, she said: 'I'm one of the lucky ones as
they've re-booked my flight for today. 'I love to see my grandkids but I'm so
relieved. I've been attending my brother's funeral so I just need to get home
now. This is the last thing I need.'
Meanwhile hundreds of stranded US tourists faced huge queues for hotel
vouchers after being told they may not get home until the weekend. Diane
Montalvo, 46, had been visiting her fianci in Abegavenny, south Wales, when she
became stranded at Heathrow on Sunday. The mother-of-two, from Orange County,
said: 'He dropped me off and just went back so by the time I realised the
flight was cancelled he had left and he doesn't drive. 'There was a bus I could
get to Wales but I wanted to make sure I was on the first flight leaving. I've
been at the airport ever since. 'My daughter whose 21 is in the house by
herself because she wouldn't leave the dog and my 16-year-old son is with my
mother. I haven't been able to speak to anyone so I'm not sure what it looks
like where I live. I haven't seen anything on the news so I'm hoping that means
it is okay.'
Winnie and JB Doherty, both in their 50s, from Philadelphia, had been on
holiday in Prague and Budapest when they were due to fly home via London's
Heathrow Airport after their two week break. Picking up their hotel voucher,
the couple said they had enjoyed the two-week break in Europe, despite the
upheaval.
Schoolteacher Mrs Doherty said: 'This was not the finale we had planned,
believe me, but at least we're safe. 'We're more worried about our daughter and
granddaughter in Manhattan, but they live on the Upper West Side so they should
be safe.' Mr Doherty, a private equity advisor, said his niece was due to run
the New York marathon on Sunday but was unsure whether it would be affected. 'At
the moment a lot of lower Manhattan is under water so we'll have to wait and
see,' he added. Lindsay Pereira, 28, a doctor, had been working on a medical
mission trip in Africa for four weeks when she became stranded on her way back
to New Jersey.
She said: 'They've just told us we won't fly back until the weekend so
we'll have to come to airport every day to get vouchers for a hotel. 'Obviously
I'm worried about my family and I don't know what home is going to look like.
This was not what I expected.' Tony Akarolo, 42, who owns a telecommunications
business in Washington DC, said he was 'tired but upbeat' as he made his way to
the hotel for another night. 'I've just sent somebody to look at my house and
I'm waiting to hear back and find out what it looks like. I just want to get
home, I'm tired, but there's no point in letting this stuff get to you.
Hopefully I'll get a plane tomorrow.'
Marc Thivessen, 27, was due to fly to New York yesterday for a business
trip but his flight was cancelled before the storm. The sales executive, from
London, said: 'Even if I had travelled the day before I wouldn't have been able
to do anything due to the weather so I have rearranged the trip for a
fortnight's time. 'It's just annoying because I spent hours scheduling a number
of meetings with clients and potential clients which are now not going to
happen.'
Vincent McAviney, 24, from London, was due to be travelling to
Washington but his flight was cancelled. ‘I was meant to be flying to DC this
morning (Monday) at 11 for a holiday but last night I checked my flight status
at 7.30 and it was listed as cancelled,’ he said. ‘I called them again this
morning when the lines opened. I managed to get through after being on hold for
25 minutes. 'So I rearranged for the first available flight, which is Thursday.
Looking at the pictures and the forecasts it seems like a fair enough decision.
I'm obviously disappointed that my holiday has been shortened but it's nature,
so there's not much we can do about it.’
Heathrow airport advised passengers to check the status of their flight
with their airline before travelling. Britons living in New York described
people stocking up on supplies for when the storm hits. Divya Samtani, 22, from
London, said: 'Everyone is freaking out. Flashlights are sold out everywhere,
queues are really long in the supermarkets and all the hardware shops are
closed. 'Novelist Philip Hensher, 47, from Sheffield, said the main fear was of
power cuts, with doormen taking ladders into lifts in case they break down. Asset
Tarabayev, 26, a quantitative software developer, also originally from London,
said New York was 'cut off from the outside world', and Debbie Dreyfuss, 22,
who is studying at New York University, said: 'The city is completely dead.'
Daily Mail UK
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