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Snows Delay New York Air Travel - Advice For Travellers

  • Last Updated: 12/01/2011
  • Category: Environmental

Summary: John F Kennedy and Newark airports are temporarily closed this morning due to heavy snow on the USA's east coast.

Due to the snowfall, the Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) has advised that JFK airport will be closed until 8am New York time (1pm UK time) today. Newark International airport is expected to be closed until 1pm (6pm UK time). A number of flights have been cancelled, delayed or diverted at these airports.

What to do if you are due to arrive in or depart from New York or New Jersey:

Passengers are advised to:

  • Contact their tour operators or airlines before leaving for the East Coast. Contact details for JFK airlines can be found here and for Newark airlines here
  • Talk to their airline about arranging a later flight for when the airports are open
  • Check the status of their flight on JFK's online arrivals or departures board
  • Or track their flight to JFK here
  • Visit the FAA air traffic command centre for information on current airport closures
  • Expect gate hold and taxi delays of up to 15 minutes for departures
  • Expect airbourne delays of 15 minutes for arrivals
  • Monitor the FAA website for information on further delays.

Last Updated: 12 January 2011

Summary: Heavy snowfall is moving into New York and Boston from the Deep South, bringing widespread flight cancellations and halted train, flight and bus services. See advice for travellers below.

What to do if you are travelling to or around New York City:

The East Coast is now facing travel problems as authorities predict that New York Airports will be shut down. There are currently several delays to flights and public transport. If you are in the city, please ensure that you:

  • Obey any advice from local authorities, as the situation changes daily
  • Contact the New York State National Weather Service (NWS) Offices for updated weather information
  • Don't panic-buy items unless they are essential and you are going to be cut-off from stores because of extreme weather
  • Don't leave your car in traffic lanes, as snow is being cleared: leave it near the curb if you have to drive somewhere
  • Check the latest status of the city's subway, rail and bus services with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  • Expect halted express services on some subway lines as officials move trains out of the snow into tunnels
  • Postpone your flight until later in the week if possible - airlines have eased ticket-change rules to encourage flyers to delay their trips
  • View the latest flight delay information from the Air Traffic Control System Command Center
  • Check the airport status information for John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
  • Contact your airline directly for up-to-date flight details

Important contacts for emergency assistance:

For updated information, you can also:

Snow affects 49 of 50 U.S. states:

The National Weather Service reported an unusual nationwide occurrence after witnessing the severe storm in the South which left over a foot of snow in some areas.

The arrival of snow in New York has brought the total of U.S. states experiencing snowfall up to 49 - leaving Florida as the only unaffected state.

New York City is currently on its way to surpassing the 22.4 inches of snowfall in a normal season, with 21.8 inches recorded on Tuesday, 11 January.