Some locations across the East Coast, including New York City and Boston, could see at least 2 feet of snow through Tuesday evening.
Update: United Airlines announced it is slowing operations at Newark International Airport (NJ) this evening and canceling flights altogether Tuesday. A 6 p.m. Monday arrival to Ford Airport is canceled, plus a 6:30 p.m. departure.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — All Delta Airlines flights to the East Coast from Gerald R. Ford International Airport are canceled through early Tuesday, Jan. 27.
The carrier made the move in advance of a major storm taking aim at the region, with weather service forecasters calling it a “crippling and potentially historic blizzard.” Several of Delta’s scheduled trips already have been canceled: at least two departures and one arrival.
New York City’s LaGuardia Airport serves all of West Michigan’s departing Delta flights.
“When airlines prepare for something as big as this, they get the ball going ahead of time,” Ford Airport spokeswoman Tara Hernandez said.
Delta is the only airline as of Monday morning to begin cancelations prior to the storm, said Hernandez, adding that other cancellations displayed on Ford Airport’s real-time flight information website aren’t yet storm related.
Officials say passengers with travel interests to the East Coast should continue monitoring the latest status of their fight and check with their airline regarding the rebooking process should a cancellation occur.
The storm is expected to dump upward of 2 feet of snow on New York City and as much as 3 feet in Boston.
Should additional airlines choose to make cancellations or airports themselves shut down, watch out for a domino of delays across the country and in Grand Rapids, Hernandez said.
Above all, she adds, patience is crucial.
“You might not be headed to the East Coast, but when air travel is affected, especially in those major metropolitan areas, it can be a reciprocal effect,” Hernandez said. “The drill is to go to our website for the real-time flight information and just be prepared.”
Andrew Krietz covers breaking, politics and transportation news for MLive and The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at akrietz@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.