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Skies Empty Out Over Northeast as Massive Blizzard Cancels 3,300+ Flights

Jan. 04, 2018
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3 min read
AA Blizzard Chicago photo by JT Genter
Skies Empty Out Over Northeast as Massive Blizzard Cancels 3,300+ Flights
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How do mass flight cancellations affect the number of flights on a radar? We saw this impact during Hurricane Irma when airlines evacuated all aircraft from Florida, and again when the skies cleared out after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico.

Now today, we are getting a chance to see how it looks when a blizzard cancels over 3,300 flights on Thursday — including more than half of all flights from major airports Newark (EWR), Boston (BOS) and New York's LaGuardia (LGA).

For reference, here are all of the FlightRadar24-tracked flights Wednesday at 11:00am Eastern (16:00UTC):

That's a solid amount of air traffic for midday and mid-week after the holiday rush has subsided. There are clear hubs of activity around New York City's three airports (JFK/LGA/EWR), Philadelphia (PHL) and Boston (BOS), with transiting traffic making its way through the area.

Exactly 24 hours later at 11:00am Eastern (16:00UTC) Thursday, the FlightRadar24 map is strikingly empty:

Areas around New York City, Philadelphia and Boston are virtually empty of air traffic, due in no small part to the fact that JFK airport has been shuttered for the storm:

It's not often that there's just a handful of flights flying around this busy corridor, so let's take a look at who's in the air.

One of the few planes passing through the area is a UPS cargo flight from Philadelphia (PHL) to Cologne, Germany (CGN), located next to New Haven at the time of the snapshot.

The small plane just north of NYC is a Gulfstream IV which departed out of Westchester County Airport (HPN), a private jet perhaps carrying passengers who absolutely, positively needed to get somewhere despite the storm.

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Next to that plane is an Air Canada Rouge flight operating through the nearly-empty air space flying from Toronto (YYZ) to Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD).

The blizzard is also affecting The Points Guy team directly. One of the many thousand flights cancelled out of New York City includes a flight from JFK to San Juan, Puerto Rico scheduled to carry TPG team members down to our service project there this weekend. More on that soon!

Featured image by JT Genter

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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.