US winter storm: 2,000 flights cancelled, holiday travellers frustrated

Washington (US), December 25: Over 2000 flights have been cancelled by various airlines across the world on Saturday morning after a massive winter storm that snarled airport operations around the United States and frustrated thousands of holiday travellers, Reuters reported.

According to flight tracking website FlightAware, total flight delays within, into, or out of the United States stood at around 4,000 as of Saturday morning, with total US flight cancellations standing at around 2,000. On Saturday morning, Southwest Airlines cancelled over 450 flights and Delta Air Lines Inc. cancelled nearly 400. The flight delays occurred as an arctic blast swept across much of the United States on Saturday, causing power outages and car accidents.

Temperatures were expected to plummet, bringing the coldest Christmas Eve on record to cities ranging from Pennsylvania to Georgia.

According to CNN, a massive winter storm battered the United States on Friday with frigid temperatures, high winds, and heavy snow, killing at least nine people, knocking out power to over a million customers, and disrupting holiday plans from coast to coast.

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All modes of transportation - planes, trains, and automobiles - were disrupted: Hundreds of miles of road were closed, and flight cancellations were increasing rapidly. Flooding on the Long Island Rail Road in New York forced the closure of a portion of the Long Beach branch.

According to CNN, more than 9,50,000 homes and businesses were without power on Christmas Eve due to an Arctic blast and winter storm that ripped down power lines with destructive winds and heavy snow and dipped temperatures dangerously low, killing at least 15 people.

As bone-chilling air grips the United States over the holiday weekend, the storm continues to pound parts of the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast with heavy snow and blizzard conditions.

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