ORLANDO, Fla. – Thousands of travelers in Orlando are scrambling to make new plans after a powerful snowstorm brought air traffic to a standstill in much of the northeast United States.
On Monday, flight disruptions piled up as more than 240 flights were canceled through Orlando International Airport and 5,800 flights were canceled across the U.S., according to online tracker FlightAware. Hundreds of others were delayed.
Damon Cooper planned to spend a couple of extra days in Orlando after his American Airlines flight home to Philadelphia was cancelled.
[VIDEO: It’s gonna get how cold for how long in Central Florida? What you need to know]
“American did compensate us. The earliest they can get us out is probably Wednesday evening,” Cooper said. “I’ll just go to the hotel and relax and hope for the best.”
New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport had the highest numbers of cancellations on Monday, followed by airports in Boston, Newark, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
[EXCLUSIVE:Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE)| PINIT!Share your photos]
More than 4,000 U.S. flights were previously canceled on Sunday. And another nearly 1,600 trips scheduled for Tuesday have already been cut, in disruptions that could continue to climb.
Katycia Alvarado’s trip to Philadelphia was also canceled, and she said her airline gave her mixed messages.
“The person I called said come here. Then I came here, and they said call,” Alvarado said. “Too much frustration. It’s hard because you expect to be on the next flight they go on time.”
The Federal Aviation Administration urged travelers to monitor updates and check with their airlines on the status of their flights.
The National Weather Service on Monday called travel conditions “extremely treacherous” and “nearly impossible” in areas hit hardest by the storm.