The “Shorter Than The Day” sculpture at LaGuardia Airport in the new Central Terminal Building
Flyers didn’t stand a chance Sunday as several different weather systems all took a severe toll on flight operations in the United States.
“A widespread and oppressive heat wave will continue today across much of the West to the extreme Southern states,” the National Weather Service said late Saturday. “Strong to severe thunderstorms and heavy rain may produce excessive rainfall and flooding in the Northeast. Air quality issues from Canadian wildfire smoke across much of the Upper Midwest into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.”
On Sunday alone, as of 5 p.m. EST, there had been 6,592 delays on flights within, into, and out of the United States, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks such information. An additional 1,415 were cancelled.
The total number of flights that were delayed in the period Friday at 12:01 a.m. through 5 p.m. EST on Sunday was 25,551, with an additional 3,361 cancellations.
Airports leading the global tally on Sunday include Newark Liberty International, with 28% of outbound operations cancelled, John F. Kennedy International, with 21%, New York’s LaGuardia Airport with 26%, and Boston Logan International Airport with 47%.
The U.S. airlines most affected by the extreme weather conditions were regional carriers Republic Airlines with 32% of its operations cancelled; JetBlue Airways with 25%; and Endeavor Air, which is owned by American Airlines, with 26%.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
