By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – More than 12,500 U.S. flights were delayed or canceled Monday during a series of storms affecting several major airports along the East Coast and some other locales.
Because of the risk of high winds and severe thunderstorms, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered delays at the New York City area’s three airports – New York’s LaGuardia and JFK and Newark airport in New Jersey – as well as at Reagan Washington National Airport, Orlando, airports at Charlotte and Atlanta, and Houston’s Bush airport.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the weather was impacting flights across the country. A major winter storm was also snarling flights across the Midwest and Great Lakes states.
Earlier, the FAA imposed ground stops at Reagan National, Chicago O’Hare and at Charlotte before lifting them. Ground stops remained in place at Houston Bush and Baltimore Washington International airports.
FlightAware, a flight-tracking site, said more than 8,500 U.S. flights had been delayed and 4,000 canceled as of 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT).
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines all have delayed or canceled 45% of flights, according to FlightAware, while United Airlines has 36% of flights delayed or canceled.
About 57% of flights at Atlanta were canceled or delayed, 51% at Chicago O’Hare and 57% at LaGuardia.
The U.S. government ordered federal employees in the Washington, D.C. area to leave offices by 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) because of weather risks.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Franklin Paul, Will Dunham and David Gregorio)
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