Hundreds of flights and trains were canceled Thursday morning as the after-effects of Ida lingered in New York City and the surrounding area. The remnants of the storm swept the city overnight causing deadly floods.
The Federal Aviation Administration advised travelers to be aware of the situation on Thursday. “Flooding continues to affect parts of the Northeast and New England today. Remember to check with your airline for your flight status before leaving home. Do not drive through flooded roadways,” the FAA said on Twitter.
Newark Liberty International Airport, which had flooding issues in a terminal and baggage room, according to videos posted on social media, shut down Wednesday night.
The airport was allowing limited flights Thursday morning.
Nearly 400 flights were canceled Thursday by 11:50 a.m. ET at Newark alone – 202 flights departing from Newark Liberty International Airport were canceled and 194 arriving to the airport were canceled, too, in addition to dozens of delays, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.
“Weather conditions have caused EWR Airport flight disruptions,” the Newark airport said on Twitter. “Please check with your airline to determine the status of your flight.”
Are flights in LaGuardia, JFK canceled?
Thirty-one departing and 29 arriving flights were canceled at LaGuardia Airport, which had “minimal flooding issues” that did not cause interruption,Cheryl Ann Albiez, a spokesperson for Port Authority, confirmed to USA TODAY. There were additional delays at LaGuardia.
And at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which did not experience flooding and remained operational, 21 departures and 35 arrivals were canceled and dozens more were delayed, FlightAware reported.
Overall 512 flights have been canceled in the greater New York area, according to FlightAware.
Scott Savran, 30, lives in New York City but had plans to fly with Delta to Fort Lauderdale for a wedding Wednesday night. He arrived at the airport at 5:30 p.m.
“I ‘slept’ in (LaGuardia) last night and had my flight delayed numerous times,” Savran said, noting he’s currently scheduled to depart around noon Thursday.
New York City put in place a travel ban until 5 a.m. ET Thursday for all nonemergency vehicles, and a travel advisory was in effect after it expired. All nonemergency vehicles were advised to stay off of streets and highways.
Transit officials cautioned against traveling unless it’s “absolutely essential.”
“The Port Authority is continuing storm recovery efforts across all its facilities,” Albiez, said.
Air travelers worry about delays, cancellations to come
Sarvan’s flight’s status hasn’t changed in the last few hours. But that hasn’t left him with an assurance that he’ll be leaving at that time. “It’s not stopping me from refreshing my app over and over.”
Jonathan Harounoff, 26, an analyst who works in Greenwich, Connecticut, lives in New York City but was visiting London when Ida’s remains hit the city Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
He is worried about his return plans.
“We’re been seeing horrifying footage of floodings across the city,” he said, noting that he’s tried to reach out to British Airways, the airline on which he’s scheduled to fly home, but has received “radio silence.”
Train, bus service disrupted, too
Amtrak service was canceled between Philadelphia and Boston, resuming in limited capacity Thursday morning, the Associated Press reported.
And Grand Central Station, a hub for Metro North trains running locally from the city and popular tourist destination, was nearly deserted Thursday morning, according to a video USA TODAY reporter Kevin McCoy posted to Twitter. The majority of trains scheduled to depart early Thursday morning were canceled.
Much of New Jersey’s train service also remained suspended Thursday morning, NJ Transit confirmed on Twitter.
“All rail service remains suspended with the exception of the Atlantic City Rail Line, which continues to operate. Rail service will remain suspended until a full assessment of damages is completed and necessary inspections have been made,” NJ Transit said in a tweet around 9 a.m. with images of flooding.
The Newark Light Rail also reopened around 9:45 a.m.
The Long Island Rail Road restored service on all of its branches apart from the Port Washington Branch and Far Rockaway Branch, Notify NYC said in an email to subscribers Thursday morning. The Oyster Bay service is running to and from Locust Valley.
Notify NYC also advised against travel and said that customers who choose to use the LIRR can expect delays up to 30 minutes and that there may be additional suspensions.
The bus terminal was operational Thursday morning, with delays, Albiez said.
Contributing: The Associated Press, Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY
