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Airlines cancel more than 5,500 flights due to blizzard

Travelers wait in a security line at O'Hare International Airport Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 in Chicago. Airlines at Chicago's two major airports have canceled 215 flights largely due to a blizzard threatening down on the East Coast. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford) Travelers wait in a security line at O'Hare International Airport Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 in Chicago. Airlines at Chicago's two major airports have canceled 215 flights largely due to a blizzard threatening down on the East Coast. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

By Associated Press January 23, 2016 1 min read

Flight tracking service FlightAware says more than 5,500 flights to, from or within the U.S. have been canceled this weekend due to the blizzard hitting the East Coast.

The bulk of Saturday’s nearly 4,300 cancelations are at airports in the New York City and Washington areas. Another 1,200 flights were canceled for Sunday. Those cancelations center on Philadelphia, Washington and New York City. Airlines have essentially shut down all flights into those cities.

The airlines hope to be back to a full schedule by Sunday afternoon to handle the typical influx of business travelers heading out to start the work week.