Update: February 24, 2026, at 7:55 a.m. ET
While many areas have already returned to regular operations
following the weekend’s massive storm in the northeast, flights and cruises
were still being impacted in cities hit hardest by the snow.
According to FlightAware.com,
there have been 2,029 total cancellations within, into, or out of the United
States on Monday, as of 7:55 a.m. ET, as well as over 700 delays. Monday saw 5,718
flights canceled and another 4,081 delayed.
Much of the cruise industry was unscathed by the winter
storm, but two ships sailing out of New York City, Odyssey of the Seas and MSC
Meraviglia, remained at port until Monday night before returning to the sea
with altered itineraries, according to CNYNews.com.
Original Text
A powerful
nor’easter threatening the Northeast is snarling travel plans across the
region, with airlines canceling thousands of flights and cruise lines rerouting
itineraries to avoid dangerous conditions at sea.
The National Weather Service's update shared that the nor'easter is "intensifying" off the coastline of Delaware and New Jersey. The NWS is warning travelers and residents alike to take precautions, as the storm will provide 2-3 inches of heavy snowfall per hour, along with gusty winds ranging from 40 mph to 70 mph into the Northeast and New England. "The very high snowfall rates and potentially damaging wind gusts will travel nearly impossible from the DelMarVa Peninsula into southeastern New England.
By tomorrow, February 24, areas near the coastline and the Canadian Maritimes could see one to two feet of nighttime accumulation. After that, a clipper system heading from the Upper Great Lakes could bring additional snowfall over parts of the Northeast following this system.
Impact on
Flights
As a result, over 5,600 flights into, out of or within the U.S. were canceled by the morning of Monday, February 23, according to flight-tracking
website FlightAware. Over 800 additional flights are also delayed this morning. The most impacted airports include major hubs like John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Boston Logan, Newark and Philadelphia.
Many major U.S. airlines
have issued travel waivers across the Northeast as they prepare for additional
disruptions that threats to linger for a few days even after the storm passes. According
to a report by USA
Today, these include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines,
Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines and
more.
Those who are planning to fly during the beginning of this week should monitor their airline communications and weather reports to receive the most relevant information for them.
Cruises Affected
Cruise operations
are also being affected. Royal
Caribbean has already adjusted sailings for at least two ships to avoid unsafe
conditions at sea and in port.
According to the
unofficial Royal
Caribbean Blog, Sunday’s Star of the Seas sailing will skip a planned stop
at Perfect
Day at CocoCay. “Due to a weather system expected to bring unfavorable
conditions and rough seas to Perfect Day at CocoCay on Monday, February 23, we
will be skipping our visit and enjoy a Sea Day instead.” Because of the change,
the ship will arrive in St. Thomas earlier than scheduled. Guests were told,
“We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather — your
safety is our top priority.”
Meanwhile, Odyssey
of the Seas is expected to return to New Jersey’s Cape Liberty on Sunday, but
rather than departing again the same day, may remain docked overnight due. A letter
sent to guests on the sailing attributed the potential delay to “high winds and
rough seas.” One passenger shared on Reddit, “We’re due to sail out of NJ
tomorrow on the Odyssey and just heard from RC that we won’t be leaving at the
original 2pm departure time, that we’ll likely be docked overnight, meaning we
wouldn’t leave til Monday morning.”
Odyssey of the
Seas is reportedly scheduled to stop in Florida’s Port Canaveral on Tuesday,
Nassau, Bahamas on Wednesday and Perfect Day at Coco Cay on Thursday, but that entire
itinerary may have to be reshuffled if the ship doesn’t depart on Sunday as originally
scheduled.
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