How much snow before they cancel flights?

Question

At New York John F Kennedy Airport how much snow does there have to before they cancel flights, I am flying out of JFK in the next couple of weeks and was curious. Thank you, and have a merry Christmas!

Answer 1

JFK is usually very good at coping with snow. They have state-of-the-art de-icing equipment, as well as heavy duty snow ploughs, etc. They also have several runways, which means that planes can still take off and land on one runway while they clear the other of snow.



The most usual reason for delays and cancellations is when the weather falls below the minimums required. The lower the visibility, the more spacing they need between each flight. At a busy airport like JFK (which is already running at near full capacity) this means fewer flights per hour, so many airlines are forced to cancel certain flights. It is rare for all flights to be cancelled, but it is possible during heavy snowstorms.



Check the airlines website before travelling to the airport. If no disruptions are mentioned, go to the airport at the usual time.

Answer 2

It isn't the snow that causes a flight to be canceled. It is the storms that delay flights and cancel others. When there is a forecast for severe weather in the NYC area, all airlines evaluate how severe the weather will be and what impact on their operation it will have. While snow is definitely a factor, it's the freezing ice on the ground that is more dangerous. If it looks like they will have delays for hours on end, airlines cancel a lot of flights to free up the air space. That means the flights that weren't canceled won't be delayed as much. This is a year round process with JFK. Once the snow starts falling, the airlines would have already canceled most of the flights. You may have a few last minute cancellations if the weather is worse than forecast. They just want to ensue passengers aren't sitting on airplanes for multiple hours.

Answer 3

It's not the amount of snow, it's the rate that it's falling. If it's falling so fast they can't keep the runways clear, this may cause significant delays if not shut down the airport until the storm passes, and airlines may cancel flights to get caught up and to allow flight crews to get their required rest. Strong wind in a snow storm can also lead to the airport being shut down.

Answer 4

well really the carrier is not held responsible due to nature cause. but your'll find most carriers will uplift passengers when possible & will waiver any re-booking /re-routing fees. Also contact the airline for updates...

Answer 5

About 10 inches in one hour should pretty much do it.