A travel nightmare unfolded on the East Coast as multiple major airports experienced significant interruptions, stranding thousands in Washington, DC. This disruption began Monday afternoon when all three major airports in the New York Metro Area announced ground stops.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was the first to alert that flights at JFK International Airport would be halted due to severe thunderstorms approaching the area.
Newark Liberty Airport was subsequently added to the list, with outgoing flights suspended until 6:30 PM.
Eventually, LaGuardia Airport was included as well, with all flights grounded until 8 PM.
The thunderstorm’s impact initially triggered delays at Philadelphia International Airport, extending to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and then spread up and down the East Coast.
Despite expectations that the ground stop would last through the evening, the waiting times continued to increase as airlines worked to catch up on delays.
Departures from JFK were estimated to face delays of around 2 hours and 35 minutes, according to the FAA.
A single thunderstorm caused a staggering 1,500 flight delays across the region.
In total, over 6,000 flights, both domestic and international, faced delays, with nearly 600 cancellations reported.
Meanwhile, passengers in Philadelphia experienced delays on the tarmac until at least 6:30 PM, with the FAA indicating a minimum delay of 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Newark appeared to suffer the most, with delays reaching an average of 4 hours and 31 minutes, based on airport status reports.
Weather warnings in New York are expected to remain in effect until 11:59 PM.
