Airlines cancel hundreds of flights due to the winter storm

More than 1,400 US flights were canceled and 11,000 were delayed over the weekend after a major winter storm hit the northeastern United States, putting airlines to the test during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Total snowfall in the area was below previous forecasts, although New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey recorded more than four inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 130 flights were cancelled, about a fifth of scheduled departures from Kennedy Airport, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Another 87 flights were canceled from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, about 20% of departures scheduled for the day, and 72, or 12%, of departures from Newark were cancelled.

Airlines canceled more than 1,700 flights on Friday, most of them before the storm. Nearly 400 US flights were canceled on Sunday, according to FlightAware.

American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airlines Other carriers last week waived change fees for restricted basic economy tickets. They said they would not charge a fare difference to any other customers traveling to and from a range of airports in the northeastern United States

The airlines said customers should fly by the end of the year if they change their flights. Traveling as soon as possible is probably your best bet with only a few seats available during the busy Christmas week.

Airlines of America, an industry lobby group, expects airlines to carry a record 52.6 million people between Dec. 19 and Jan. 5, with Friday and Sunday among the busiest days.

Airlines generally cancel flights in advance due to major weather events in the forecast, such as snowstorms or hurricanes, to spare planes, passengers and crews from being stranded and exacerbated by turbulence.