The Federal Aviation Administration paused flights bound for a number of East Coast airports Monday and said air traffic controllers were routing planes around thunderstorms as best they could.
The agency also paused departures from airports in the New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte and Atlanta areas as thunderstorms brewed.
Between about 4 and 4:30 p.m., the FAA issued ground stops for more than half a dozen airports, an advisory that requires inbound planes to wait on the ground at their departure airports. The storms added disruptions that already were affecting airlines Monday.
More than 1,200 flights were canceled, according to tracking service Flight Aware. The disruptions generally stemmed from severe weather that occurred a day earlier.
Among the airports most affected: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, New York’s LaGuardia, Reagan National outside Washington and Baltimore-Washington International Marshall. About 20 percent of flights at BWI, where Southwest is the largest carrier, were canceled. In Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is the largest carrier, about 7 percent of flights were canceled and 20 percent were delayed.
Delta spokesman Morgan Durant said the Atlanta area was hit by three rounds of storms Sunday, which forced the carrier to divert flights and left crew members out of position. Monday’s cancellations, he said, were a ripple effect from Sunday’s storms.
Airlines warned customers about possible cancellations and delays. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines were allowing travelers scheduled to fly Monday to rebook tickets as long as they don’t change their original itineraries.
Southwest customers whose itineraries included Baltimore, Charlotte, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond and Washington’s Dulles and National airports were covered by airline’s waivers.
Similarly, American customers whose travel plans include Baltimore, Charlotte, both New York airports, Newark, Philadelphia, Dulles and National were eligible to rebook their tickets.
In Washington, federal offices closed at 3 p.m. Monday. A tornado watch was posted for the region until 9 p.m.
