Airlines cancel more than 1,500 flights for winter storm

Airlines canceled more than 1,500 U.S. flights on Friday ahead of a major winter storm that will put carriers to the test during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

A winter storm warning is in effect starting Friday afternoon in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island, with snowfall totals potentially reaching 9 inches, much of it falling Friday night, the National Weather Service said.

Over 370 flights, or more than a quarter of the day’s schedule, were canceled as of 5 p.m. ET Friday to and from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. More than 240 were also scrubbed at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and more than 140 were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport.

Airlines have already canceled a fifth of the departures, or 125 flights from Kennedy Airport on Saturday and 69 flights or 10% of flights scheduled to depart Newark and 20%, or 80 flights from LaGuardia Airport in New York.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and other carriers waived change fees for restrictive basic economy tickets and said they won’t charge a difference in fare for any other customers flying in and out of a host of airports in the Northeast U.S.

Customers must travel by the end of the year if they change their flights, the airlines said. Flying as early as possible is likely the best bet with few seats available during the busy Christmas week.

Airlines for America, the industry lobbying group, expects carriers to fly a record 52.6 million people between Dec. 19 and Jan. 5, with this Friday and Sunday among the busiest days.

Airlines generally cancel flights ahead of time for major weather events in the forecast, like blizzards or hurricanes, to avoid planes, connecting travelers and crews from getting stranded and worsening disruptions.