Airways are canceling most flights within the NYC space earlier than the snow storm

Airlines canceled most of the New York City area flights scheduled for Monday ahead of a strong winter storm that is likely to bring high winds and heavy snow to the area. Local officials also urged people to stay away from streets.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a large number of travel restrictions, flight schedules were already drastically below the norm.

Three quarters of scheduled departures from John F. Kennedy International Airport, or 151 flights, have been canceled, as has 86%, or 102 flights, from LaGuardia Airport, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. Nearly 70% of departures from the United Airlines Hub Newark Liberty International Airport have also been canceled. A snow storm canceled about a quarter of departures from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Sunday.

Airlines stopped charging ticket exchange fees last year in an effort to boost bookings amid the pandemic. However, several major airlines said they will not charge fare differentials for travelers hit by the winter storm.

According to Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, travelers can change their tickets to and from more than two dozen airports in the Mid Atlantic and Northeast without paying a price difference if they can rebook by Saturday. New York-based JetBlue Airways said travelers won’t have to pay the fare difference if they can travel through Friday, while United had a similar policy if customers rebook on Sunday. All airlines encouraged the customer to check with their airline for updated information.