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| William Witters, of Valparaiso, Ind., waits for a ride in a wheelchair after passing through security at Chicago Midway International Airport on Tuesday, Nov., 26, 2013. Thanksgiving travelers scrambled to book earlier flights Tuesday to avoid a sprawling storm bearing down on the East Coast with a messy mix of snow, rain and wind that threatened to snarl one of the busiest travel days of the yea |
NEW YORK (AP)
-- Thanksgiving travelers scrambled to book earlier flights Tuesday to
avoid a sprawling storm bearing down on the East Coast with a messy mix
of snow, rain and wind that threatened to snarl one of the busiest
travel days of the year and ground giant balloon versions of Snoopy and
SpongeBob SquarePants in the Macy's parade.
The
characters that soar between Manhattan skyscrapers every year may not
lift off Thursday if sustained winds exceed 23 mph and gusts exceed 34
mph, according to city rules enacted after fierce winds in 1997 caused a
Cat in the Hat balloon to topple a light pole and seriously injure a
spectator.
Current forecasts call for sustained winds of 20 mph and gusts of 36 mph.
"At
this time, it is too early to make any determinations on the flight of
the giant balloons," said Macy's spokesman Orlando Veras. "On
Thanksgiving morning, Macy's works closely with the NYPD, who, based on
real time weather data and the official regulations determine if the
balloons will fly and at what heights."
Balloons
have been grounded only once in the parade's 87-year history, when bad
weather kept them from flying in 1971. They're set to be inflated in
Manhattan on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile,
meteorologists warned that the storm, which has moved across the
country, would almost certainly upset holiday travel plans on Wednesday
for those hoping to visit loved ones in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Many travelers were moving to earlier flights, taking advantage of
airlines' policies to waive their normal change fees.
Lisa
Jablon was originally supposed to fly Delta from New York City to
Syracuse, N.Y., on Wednesday at 9:39 a.m. But after following the
storm's movements, she decided to jump on the last flight out Tuesday
night.
"I'm flying up to spend the holiday
with my boyfriend's family and I didn't want to get stuck," Jablon said.
"The rain seems to be better off tonight than it looks tomorrow
morning."
The good news is that the storm is
supposed to pass through the Northeast before Thanksgiving Day, with the
weather mostly clearing up by Wednesday evening.
Most
airlines are hoping the storms won't be too severe, allowing them to
continue operating a nearly full schedule with few cancellations, but
likely a lot of delays, said Daniel Baker, CEO of FlightAware, a global
flight tracking service.
"Cancellations are
used as a good, preventative measure to avoid cascading delays that can
negatively impact travelers thousands of miles away," Baker said.
Heavy
rain and high winds would affect travel by air and road in the
Northeast and mid-Atlantic and could have a ripple effect on airports
with departing and originating flights elsewhere.
Heavy
rain and breezy conditions were in the forecast Wednesday from the
Carolinas to the Northeast, with ice and snow a possibility in the
Appalachians, western Pennsylvania and western New York.
The
storm system, already blamed for at least 11 deaths, could also spawn
isolated tornadoes in the Florida Panhandle. The Southeast is set to
suffer soaking rain in the coming days, primarily in Alabama, Tennessee
and Kentucky.
"It couldn't have come at a
worse time," said meteorologist Tim Morrin of the National Weather
Service.
"Visibility will be restricted not only by the rain and wash
from other cars, but from the fog."
After
arguing with American Airlines on Tuesday, David Short was able to board
a flight from New York City to Dallas a day earlier than planned. The
airline initially told him it would cost $2,000 to get on the earlier
flight, but a few hours later a representative told him the airline was
offering flight-change waivers at no cost.
"It was definitely very frustrating and stressful, but it's all working out," Short said.
This
holiday will likely see the most air travelers since 2007, according to
Airlines for America, the industry's trade and lobbying group, with the
busiest day being Sunday, an estimated 2.56 million passengers.
Wednesday is expected to be the second-busiest, with 2.42 million
passengers.
