NYC-area airports experience massive delays as 1,600 US flights are cancelled

Subway

Of Allie Griffin

16 July 2023 | 23:28

Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at the three major airports serving New York City on Sunday, causing major headaches for travelers as downpours and deadly flooding battered parts of the Northeast.

More than 1[ads1],600 flights were canceled across the country — with Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports experiencing the most delays and cancellations, according to FlightAware.

The New Jersey airport took the crown for the most flight cancellations of any US airport on Sunday.

Newark had a total of 365 inbound and outbound flights — about 30% of all its scheduled flights — canned and another 461 delayed, FlightAware data showed.

Air travel accidents were also not limited to actual flight operations.

A traveler from Chicago told The Post they were among dozens of passengers who waited for their bags for more than two hours after landing in Newark. The United customer said only about a third of passengers’ luggage arrived in the hold and the other two-thirds appeared to be missing.

United Airlines did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the allegedly lost luggage.

JFK Airport came in second for the most canceled flights after Newark – with a total of 331 cancellations both to and from the airport – and LaGuardia was not far behind with 280 flights on the ground, according to flight tracking data.

All three airports warned customers to check their flight status before arriving at the airport due to heavy rain and fog in the metro area.

Thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding affected large parts of the New York area on Sunday.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Queens and The Bronx in the afternoon. Most areas of New York saw between 1 and 3 inches of rain total — with some spots totaling as much as five inches overnight.

The wet weather came after the Empire State was hit by torrential downpours last weekend. The rain and subsequent flooding killed one New Yorker and caused about $50 million in damage, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.