N.Y.N.J. region’s flight schedule was most heavily affected by winter storm, study finds

The winter storm that snowed in the region in late January proved extremely disruptive for area airports, according to the Global Gateway Alliance.The advocacy group’s analysis of flights affected by weather during the weekend of Friday, Jan. 22, to Sunday, Jan. 24, found that the New York region was the most heavily affected in terms of the sheer number of flight disruptions.

There were 5,889 flights disrupted at the New York-area airports over those three days, counting canceled and delayed flights.

John F. Kennedy International led the way, with 2,140 flights disrupted; Newark Liberty International saw 1,997 flights disrupted; LaGuardia saw 1,714 disruptions; and Westchester County had 38 flights either canceled or delayed.

The Alliance said the flight disruptions represented approximately 61 percent of scheduled flights during the weekend.

“The Port Authority and the airlines took the necessary measures to keep passengers safe in the midst of the city’s second-largest snowfall,” Joe Sitt, chairman of the alliance, said in a prepared statement. “But we have to remain focused on modernizing our airports, so we finally have both the 21^st century air traffic technology needed to recover faster from these weather events and the amenities that passengers look for during hours- or days-long waits.”

Washington, D.C., which was also battered by Winter Storm Jonas, was second in flights disrupted, with 3,744 delays or cancelations at its three major airports. However, that represented approximately 64 percent of flights at the three airports, slightly higher than the New York-area total.

Among other areas in the Northeast affected by the storm, Philadelphia ranked seventh nationwide, with 1,453 flight disruptions, and Boston ranked 10^th, with 957 disruptions.

The region continued to struggle as it dug out from Jonas’ snow, the alliance added.

Newark Liberty International saw an additional 1,918 flight disruptions in the four days following the storm: Monday, Jan. 25, through Thursday, Jan. 28. That led all individual airports, the alliance said.

LaGuardia ranked third over the same time period, with 1,273 disruptions, while JFK ranked sixth, with 930.