Over 3,000 US flights disrupted due to weather as travel chaos worsens

Over 3,000 flights were already canceled or delayed by midday Wednesday, as the spate of severe weather battering the Northeast continued to impact major airlines.

As of noon Wednesday, 799 flights within, into, or out of the US had been axed in addition to 2,457 delays, according to FlightAware.

United Airlines was the worst hit, with 379 total cancellations and over 400 delays.

JetBlue was also struggling with over 200 delays before 8 a.m. ET, Fox News Business said.

A spokesperson for United told the outlet that the ongoing cancellations and delays were due to severe weather in the Northeast.

“Several consecutive days of severe weather and lingering thunderstorms in the Northeast, combined with FAA staffing constraints over the weekend, have resulted in a tough operating environment, especially for our customers flying in and out of the New York area,” they wrote.

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“We know our customers are eager to get to their destinations and our airport and call center teams are working overtime to assist them. As we focus on helping our customers whose travel has been disrupted over the last few days, we’re also planning ahead to be ready for the upcoming holiday weekend.”

Showers and thunderstorms are now expected to hover over the region through at least Friday.

Wednesday’s spate of travel hiccups came just one day after severe storm warnings grounded thousands of travelers at major New York City-area airports.

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Threats from Mother Nature were also compounded by a technology issue with air traffic control that forced some Washington, D.C.-area airports to pause operations on Sunday, Fox said.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in an internal memo that the Federal Aviation Administration “frankly failed” the industry when it came to low staffing over the weekend and into this week.

He said the FAA reduced arrival rates at Newark Liberty International Airport – one of United’s main hubs – by 40 percent and departure rates by 75 percent, Fox reported.

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“This is almost certainly a reflection of understaffing/lower experience at the FAA. It led to massive delays, cancellations, diversions, as well as crews and aircraft out of position,” he lamented.

“And that put everyone behind the eight-ball when weather did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening.” 

Kirby said that 150,000 United customers in the New York area were impacted by the debacle.

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He added that he plans to speak with FAA officials and the Department of Transportation on how to prevent further turmoil as summer heats up.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the FAA told Fox News Business that it will “always collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem.”