Airlines scramble to cope
DIGGING OUT: some members of the West Indian community in Brooklyn trying to clear the sidewalk in front of their homes after last weekend’s monster snow storm. (Picture by Lennox Devonish.)
WASHINGTON - Airlines were scrambling to accommodate passengers affected by the cancellation of hundreds of flights after a monster weekend winter storm that blanketed a swath of the East Coast.
In addition to refunds a spokesman for Delta Air Lines said the company was providing a weather waiver that allowed passengers to reschedule without a penalty if they were scheduled to travel before Christmas.
“We’re doing everything we can to accommodate customers to get them to their holiday destinations,” said Paul Skrbec, a Delta spokesman.
American Airlines said it would add extra flights, use bigger planes where possible and reflow passengers to other flights.
Passengers who were affected can switch flights with no change fees through Thursday, said spokesman Charley Wilson.
Continental Airlines said though flights were extremely full because of the holidays, it was working on a “case-by-case basis” to ensure passengers got home for the holidays.
Passengers can also either get a refund or change their flights for free at Continental’s website or through the 800 number, said spokeswoman Mary Clark.
Record depths of snow blanketed some areas Sunday, including 23 inches in Bethesda, Maryland, and 24 inches in Medford, New Jersey. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received 23.2 inches - its second-highest snowfall ever in a single event.
East Coast travellers faced treacherous roads, and flight delays and cancellations on Sunday. Dulles and Reagan National airports in Washington saw snowfall of 18 inches and 16.4 inches, respectively - the highest one-day totals ever for December.
At New York’s LaGuardia Airport, some passengers were resigned to their fate.(CNN)