Business

Flying east on Thursday? Better check your airline for cancellations

By Debbie Cockrell
A snowman sits on the back of a truck Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla. Schools closed in parts of Florida as the state braces for an unusual winter storm that could bring a mix of snow and ice across several counties along the state’s northern border. Travelers in the rest of the nation are bracing for canceled flights.
A snowman sits on the back of a truck Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla. Schools closed in parts of Florida as the state braces for an unusual winter storm that could bring a mix of snow and ice across several counties along the state’s northern border. Travelers in the rest of the nation are bracing for canceled flights. Hali Tauxe The Associated Press

If you’re hoping to fly to the East Coast on Thursday (Jan. 4), or really anywhere east of the Cascades, you should check your flight’s status.

Monitoring service FlightAware sent an alert Wednesday that airlines already had canceled more than 2,000 flights for Thursday because of severe winter weather in the East.

So far, the most affected airport was Boston Logan International, with 67 percent of its commercial operations (631 flights) canceled for Thursday.

As for Sea-Tac Airport, nearly 20 flights were shown Wednesday afternoon as canceled for Thursday, and that number is likely to rise.

In a news release Wednesday, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America said they had canceled 76 flights Wednesday and Thursday at five Northeast airports.

This isn’t just any winter storm. What meteorologists call a “bombogenesis” or midlatitude cyclone is set to dump six to 12 inches of snow in New England, with 40 to 60 mph wind gusts.

To check out the bigger picture, go to FlightAware.com’s Misery Map, showing affected airports.

Debbie Cockrell: 253-597-8364, @Debbie_Cockrell

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Flying east on Thursday? Better check your airline for cancellations."

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