Sandy plays havoc with UK–US air traffic

Dozens of flights between the USA and the UK have been cancelled because of problems caused by Superstorm Sandy, which has also played havoc with public transport in America’s eastern cities.

The BBC reports that 84 flights have been cancelled or postponed from Heathrow Airport alone. Passengers are being advised to check the status of their flights before travelling to the airport. “BA [British Airways] has cancelled 11 return flights from Heathrow to the US east coast – departures to New York JFK, Newark, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia are affected,” says the report. But BA has said that flights to and from Boston are expected to operate as normal, but all passengers are being advised to check BA’s website before travelling to Heathrow. Six flights from the UK to the US – four from Heathrow to New York, one from Manchester to New York and one from Heathrow to Boston – have been cancelled by American Airlines. And Virgin Atlantic is advising passengers to check its website, too, after it cancelled 14 flights, including those in and out of JFK and Newark. Another operator to cancel flights – again, 14 so far – is United Airlines, which operates out of Glasgow, Manchester, Heathrow, Birmingham and Edinburgh. “Some 47 arrivals from the US to Heathrow have been cancelled,” says the BBC. “The cancellations currently run until 18.30 GMT.” What has so far been known as Hurricane Sandy is now being classed as a superstorm, having lost hurricane status on Monday night. Thousands of flights have been grounded in the US, and several eastern cities’ public transport has been severely hit. ‘Feels like it did after 9/11’ The BBC’s Radio 5 Live was told earlier by a British national in New York, Chris Sell: “I think the city has done an amazing job of getting us all ready for it. I really think we are all as ready as we can be. “The flooding is the big thing. It feels a bit like it did after 9/11 but we are a tough breed here.” And a London visitor to New York, Iain Hunter, “was hoping to salvage some of his trip”, says the BBC. “It is my wife and I’s first holiday visit to New York,” he says, “but what a week to visit. The streets are so quiet and there’s a strong police presence. “We hope the main storm will pass and we can get back to normal and still manage to see some of the sights.”